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Full text of "History of the Forty-eighth Ohio vet. vol. inf. giving a complete account of the regiment from its organization at Camp Dennison, O., in October, 1861, to the close of the war, and its final muster-out, May 10, 1866.. . Embracing also, an account of the e"

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HISTORY 


OF   THE 

FORTY-EIGHTH  OHIO  VET.  VOL.  IIF. 

QiVifig  a  Complete  jfccolint  of  the  fiegipiept 

FROM    ITS    ORGANIZATION   AT  CAMP  DENNISON,  O.,  IN 
OCTOBER,    l86l,    TO    THE    CLOSE    OF    THE 
WAR,    AND    ITS    FINAL    MUSTER- 
OUT,    MAY   IO,   1866. 

INCLUDING 

All  Its  Marches,  Camps,  Battles,  Battle-Scenes,  Skir- 
mishes, Sieges,  Bivouacs,  Picketing,  Forag- 
ing and  Scouting ;  With  Its  Capture, 
Prison  Life  and  Exchange. 

embracing,  also, 

an  account  of  the  escape  and  re-capture   of 

major  j.  a.  bering  and  lieut.  w.  j.  srofe, 

and  the  closing  events  of  the  war 

in  the   trans -mississippi   dep't. 

By 
JOHN    A.    BERING, 

Late  Major  48th  Ohio,  and 

THOMAS    MONTGOMERY, 

Late  Captain  iSth  Ohio. 


HILLSBORO,    OHIO  : 

PRINTED    AT    THE    HIGHLAND    NEWS    OFFICE. 

1880. 


TO   THE   MEMORY   OF 

OUK  FALLEN  COMRADES, 

WHO   DIED   IN  DEFENSE  OF  THEIR   COUNTRY    IN   THE   WAR 

OF    THE    REBELLION,    WHETHER    THEY    FELL    UPON 

THE   BATTLE-FIELD   OR   WASTED  AWAY   FROM 

WOUNDS    AND    DISEASE   IN   HOSPITALS 

AND  PRISONS  ;    WHETHER  THEY 

LIE     BURIED     IN     LONELY     SOUTHERN 

FIELDS  OR   RETURNED   HOME   TO  SUFFER   AND 

SINK     INTO     UNTIMELY     GRAVES,    THIS    VOLUME    IS    MOST 

AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 

BY   THE   AUTHORS. 


PREFACE 

Our  object,  in  writing  the  History  of  the  Forty- 
eighth  Ohio,  was  to  preserve  the  record  of  a  Regi- 
ment whose  services,  extending  over  a  period  of 
nearly  five  years,  had  gained  for  it  the  reputation 
of  having  done  its  whole  duty,  whether  in  camp, 
on  the  march,  or  in  the  trying  hour  of  battle,  as 
attested  by  its  Brigade  and  Division  Commanders. 

We  began  arranging  and  compiling  the  material, 
consisting  of  our  old  army  letters,  diaries,  compa- 
ny record,  official  reports,  etc.  etc.,  in  1870,  and 
had  it  ready  for  the  press  in  1873  ;  but  owing  to 
various  causes  we  have  delayed  its  publication 
until  the  present  time. 

We  were  both  present  with  the  Regiment,  from 
the  time  we  joined  it  at  Camp  Dennison,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1861,  until  one  made  his  escape  from  prison, 
in  August,  1864,  and  the  other,  until  mustered 
out  in  January,  1865  ;  therefore  we  were  eye-wit- 
nesses to,  and  participated  in,  the  varied  events 
narrated. 

The  record,  from  January,  1865,  until  the  final 


PREFACE.  Vlll 

muster-out,  May  10,  1866,  was  furnished  principal- 
ly by  Lieut.  James  Douglas.  We  are  also  indebt- 
ed to  Lieut.  W  J.  Srofe  for  many  items  covering 
the  same  period. 

In  conclusion,  we  will  say  to  the  surviving  mem- 
bers of  the  Regiment,  that  we  do  not  claim  any 
merit  for  this  volume  as  a  literary  production.  It 
is  simply  a  narration  of  events,  as  seen  by  us,  and 
was  written  at  intervals,  as  the  time  could  be 
spared  from  a  busy  life.  Should  it  meet  the  ap- 
probation of  our  comrades,  and  be  the  means  of 
perpetuating  the  deeds  and  memory  of  those  who 
gave  up  their  lives  for  the  cause  for  which  we 
fought,  we  will  feel  ourselves  fully  compensated 
for  our  labor.  J.  A.  B.  and  T.  M. 

Lynchburg,  Highland  Co.,  O., 
June,  1880. 


CONTENTS. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  FORTY-EIGHTH  OHIO. 

CHAPTER  I. 
The  Fall   of   Fort   Sumpter  —  President's  Call   for   Vol- 
unteers — Organization  of  a  Company  at  Lynchburg  — 
Recruiting  at  Camp  Harvey  —  Muster-in  at  Webertown 

—  Farewell  Sermon.  pp.  1—5 

CHAPTER  II. 
Leaving  Lynchburg  —  Arrival   at  Camp  Dennison — As- 
signed to  Quarters  —  Drill  —  Uniforms  —  Tents — -Vis- 
its of  Citizens  of  Lynchburg — -Presentation  of  Swords 

—  New  Quarters  —  First   Payment  —  Full   Companies 

—  Regiment  Full  —  Field  and  Staff — ■  Band  —  Monot- 
ony of  Camp  Life.  pp.  6 — 11 

CHAPTER  III. 
Marching  Orders  —  Steamboat  Ride  Down  the  Ohio  — 
Paducah  —  Without  Arms  —  Rumors  of  an  Attack  — 
Armed  with  Austrian  Rifles  —  Up  the  Tennessee  —  Fort 
Henry  — -  Hog  Mountain  —  First  Shot  —  Savannah  — 
Pittsburg  Landing — Death  of  Capt.  Ireland  —  Rebel 
Graves  —  Disembarking— First  Camp.        pp.  12—16 

CHAPTER  IV 
Camp  at  Shiloh  Church  —  Reconnoisance  —  Lieut.  Greer 
Captured  —  Orders  for  Strict  Watch — Battle  Immi- 
nent —  The  Attack  of  April  6th  —  Long-Roll  —  In  Line 
of  Battle  —  To  the  Support  of  the  Pickets  — Counter- 
March  —  Second  Line  of  Battle — The  Rebel  Charge 
and  Repulse  —  Arrival  of  Capt.  Hammond  —  Orders 
to  Retreat —  New  Position  —  Repulse  of  the  Enemy  — 


X  CONTENTS. 

Camp  of  the  81st  Ohio— Arrival  at  the  Landing  — 
Advance  to  Support  a  Battery — The  Rebel  Charge  — 
Their  Repulse  and  Retreat  —  Arrival  of  Gen.  Buell's 
Troops  —  Night  —  Rain.  pp.  17—24 

CHAPTER  V 
Battle  of  the  Seventh  —  The  Final  Rout — Reoccnpying 
Our  Camps  —  The  Battle-field  —  Burial  of  the  Dead  — 
Following  the  Enemy  on  the  Eighth  —  The  Attack  on 
the  77th  Ohio  — The  48th  Ohio  to  Their  Support  — Re- 
turn to  Camp  —  Our  Dead  and  Wounded  —  Extracts 
from  the  Cincinnati  Dailies  —  The  Battle  No  Surprise 

—  Loss  in  Both  Armies  —  Extracts  from  Gen.  Sher- 
man's Official  Report  —  Arrival  of  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission—  Gen.  Halleck  Takes  Command  —  Band  Dis- 
charged —  Drill.  pp.  25—40 

CHAPTER  VI. 
On    the   Road    to   Corinth — Order  to  March  —  Joke  on 
Sergeant  Reed  —  First  Earthworks  —  Second  Advance 

—  Camp  Number  Six  —  Engagement  at  the  Russell 
House  —  Talk  with  the  Rebel  Pickets  —  Separation  of 
Mother  and  Child  —  Last  Line  of  Earthworks  —  Evac- 
uation of  Corinth — The  Pursuit  and  Return  —  Com- 
parison of  the  Two  Armies.  pp.  41 — 50 

CHAPTER  VII. 
On  to  Memphis  —  Visit  of  Thomas  Peale,  Esq.,  of  Lynch- 
burg—  Return  of  Lieut.  Col.  Parker — La-Grange  — 
Moscow  —  Lafayette  —  Newton  and  the  Snake  —  Return 
to  Moscow  —  March  to  Holly  Springs  and  Return  — 
Contrabands  —  On  the  March  to  Memphis  —  White 
Station  —  Memphis  —  Camp  at  Fort  Pickering  —  Maj. 
Wise  and  Lieut.  Fields  Resign  —  Return  of  Absentees 

—  On  Provost  Guard  —  Cincinnati  Reported   Captured 

—  Trip  to  Randolph  —  Rebel  Cotton  Burners. 

pp.  51—59 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Expedition  for  Vicksburg — Marching  Orders  —  Down 
the  Mississippi  —  Milliken's  Bend  —  Up  the  Yazoo  — 
March  Through  the  Swamps  —  First  Attack  on  Vicks- 
burg—  Picketing  —  Evacuation — Up  the  Mississippi 
and  Arkansas  Rivers  —  Arkansas  Post  —  Battle  and 
Capture  of  the  Garrison — Loss  in  Killed  and  Wounded. 

pp.  60—68 
CHAPTER    IX. 
Return  Down  the  River — -Napoleon  —  Young's  Point  — 
Digging  the  Canal  — Overflowed  — -  Scheme  Abandoned 

—  Pioneer  Corps  — -  Promotions  — ■  Arrival  of  General 
Grant  —  New  Camp  —  Milliken's  Bend  —  Change  of  Sur- 
geons —  Paymaster  —  Complimentary  Order  —  Major 
Moats  —  Military    Board — Seventeenth  Ohio  Battery, 

pp.  69—74 
CHAPTER  X. 
Marching  Orders  —  To  the  Rear  of  Vicksburg — -Holmes' 
Plantation  —  Extract  from  General  Sherman's  "  Me- 
moirs "  —  Our  Gun-boats  Passing  the  Vicksburg  Bat- 
teries—Smith's Landing  • —  Return  of  Lieut.  Col. 
Parker —  Lake  St.  Joe — Grand  Gulf — -Crossing  the 
Mississippi  at  Bruinsburg — Battle  of    Magnolia  Hills 

—  Port  Gibson  —  Grind-Stone  Ford  — Foragers —  Rocky 
Springs — Willow  Springs  —  Cayuga  —  Gen.  Sherman's 
Visit —  Old  Auburn  —  Raymond  —  Battle  of  Champion 
Hills—  Black  River  Bridge.  pp.  75—84 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Assault  on  the  Nineteenth  —  Attack  on  the  Twentieth  — 

Charge  on  the  Twenty -Second  — Our  Flag  on  the  Rebel 

Fort  —  Retreat  After  Night  —  Killed  and  Wounded  — 

Extract  from  Cincinnati  Commercial  —  Flag  of  Truce 

—  Burying  the  Dead  —  Picketing  and  Mining  —  Blow- 
ing Up  of  Fort  Hill — Surrender  of  Vicksburg,  July  4th. 

pp.  85—95 


XU  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Marching  Orders  for  Jackson  —  Excessive  Heat  —  Siege 
of  Jackson  —  Gen.   Johnston   Evacuates  —  Return    to 
Vicksburg  —  Furloughs  —  Col.  P.  J.  Sullivan  Resigns 

—  Steamer  "City  of  Madison"  Blown  Up  —  Embarking 
for  New  Orleans  —  Camp  at  Carrollton  —  Grand  Re- 
view by  Gens.  Grant  and  Banks  —  Extract  from  New 
Orleans  Era.  pp.  96—106 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Ordered    to  Western  Louisiana  —  Berwick    City — Teche 

Country  —  Franklin  —  Orange    Groves  —  Election     for 

_  Governor  of  Ohio — Guarding  Steamers  on  the  Teche  — 

Surprise  of  the  First  Brigade  —  New  Iberia — -Foraging 

—  Protection  Papers.  pp.107 — 111 

CHAPTER  XIV 
Ordered  to  New  Orleans — ■  Embarking  for  Texas  —  Trip 
Across  the  Gulf  —  De  Crow  s  Point  —  Dog-Tents  —  Dis- 
tributing the  Amnesty  Proclamation  —  Planting  the 
Flag  in  Texas — Skirmish  Drill —Fishing  and  Gather- 
ing Shells —  Short  Rations  —  Cold  New  Year — Veterans 

—  Ordered  on  Board  a  Condemned  Vessel  —  Return  to 
New  Orleans — Re-enlisting — Veteran  Medals  —  Pro- 
motions, pp.  112 — 125 

CHAPTER  XV 
Ordered  to  Franklin — Guarding  Pontoon  Train — Alexan- 
dria— Natchitoches — Capture  of  Pavy  and  McCune  — 
Guarding  the  Wagon  Train — Battle  of  Sabine  Cross 
Roads— Out  of  Ammunition — Enemy  in  the  Rear — Re- 
treat Cut  Off—  Capture—  On  Our  Way  to  Prison — -Ex- 
tracts from  Gen.  Ransom's  Official  Report — Number 
Captured — -Extracts  from  Report  of  Committee  on  Con- 
duct of  the  War — The  Rebel  General  Taylor's  Report 
of  the  Battle  — First  Night  as  Prisoners  —  Confederate 
Rations — School  House — Marshall — Flag  Song. 

pp.  126—151 


Xlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Arrival  at  Camp  Ford — The  Stockade — Building  Huts- 
Col.  Allen  Relieved  by  Col.  Border —  Adjutant  Mc- 
Eachan — "Keno" — Tied  Up  by  the  Thumbs — Rations 
Cut  Off— The  Famous  Order,  "Kill  All  Recaptured 
Prisoners" — New  Recruits  from  Gen.  Steel's  Army- — 
Building  Hospital — Poisonous  Insects — Fourth  of  July 
Celebration — Exchange  of  One  Thousand  Prisoners 
— New  "Cart-el" — Tunneling — Our  Flag  in  Prison — Dif- 
ferent Trades — Inflation  Prices — Old  Citizen  Dumped 
— Brutal  Treatment  of  Prisoners — Escape  of  Maj. 
Bering  and    Lieut.  Srofe — New  Commander. 

pp.  152—170 
CHAPTER  XVII. 

Paroled — Leaving  Camp  Ford — Arrival  at  Four-Mile 
Spring — Maj.  Bering  and  Lieut.  Srofe  on  Their  Way 
Back  to  Prison — Journey  to  Grand  Ecore — Camped  at 
Alexandria — Arrival  at  the  Mississippi — Exchanged — 
The  Old  Flag— New  Orleans— Col.  Dwight — Natchez — 
Provost  Guard — Consolidated  with  the  83d  Ohio — 
Home  on  Veteran  Furlough.  pp.  171 — 180 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Preparation  for  Active  Service  Again — Brigaded  with 
Colored  Troops — Embarking  for  New  Orleans — Arrival 
at  Barrancas,  Fla. —  Prison  Veterans  Re-join  from  Fur- 
lough — Pascagoula — Ft.  Blakely  Invested — The  Charge 
and  Capture— Up  the  Alabama  River — Selma — Return 
to  Mobile — Explosion  of  Rebel  Ammunition — Ordered 
to  Texas  —  Arrival  at  Galveston  —  Muster-Out  of  the 
83d  Ohio— The  Old  48th  Ohio  Itself  Again— Ordered  to 
Houston — Break-Bone  Fever — Back  to  Galveston — Pro- 
motions— On  Various  Duties — Final  Muster-Out — Ar- 
rival at  Columbus — Home  and  a  Quiet  Life — Reid's 
History  of  the  48th  Ohio — Testimonials  of  Brigade  and 
Division  Commanders.  pp.  181 — 197 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

THE  ESCAPE  AND  KE-CAPTURE 

OF  MAJ.  J.  A.  BERING  AND  LIEUT.  W.  J.  SROFE. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Preparing  Rations — The  Forged  Pass — Concealed  in  Sight 
of  Prison—"  Ten  O'Cloek  and  All's  Well  "—Crossing 
the  Sabine  River — Crossing  the  Bridge  at  the  Mill — 
The  Blood-Hounds  on  Our  Trail — Run  Into  a  Trap — 
Hounds  Baffled — Escape — Man  with  a  Gun — Passing 
Around  a  Village — An  All  Night  Tramp — Moonlight 
View  of  the  Country — Hounds  on  the  Trail  Again — 
Narrow  Escape  from  the  Hounds — Parching  Corn  Un- 
der Difficulties — Lost  in  a  Dark  Swamp — Waiting  for 
the  Moon  to  Rise.  pp.  201—215 

CHAPTER  II. 
Making  a  Raft  —  Crossing  Little  Cypress — Wading  the 
Overflowed  Bottoms  —  Crossing  Big  Cypress —  Crossing 
Sulphur  Fork — Wading  and  Swimming — Pass  for  a 
Rebel  Deserter — Begging  for  Something  to  Eat — Re- 
lating Camp  Rumors  — Journey  Interrupted  by  Rain  — 
Capturing  a  Slave  on  a  Mule  —  In  the  Indian  Territory 

—  Out  of  Our  Course — Conversation  with  Three  Slaves 

—  The  First  Dinner — -Carried  Down  the  Stream  —  A 
Night  Among  the  Owls  and  Mosquitos  — Fording  Little 
River.  pp.  216—228 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Arkansas  Hills — -The  Hum  of  the  Spinning- Wheel — - 
The  Last  Match — Roast  Pumpkin  and  Parched  Corn — 
Almost  Home — Re-Captured — Bound  With  Ropes— 
A  Retrograde  Movement— Another  Unfortunate  Yan- 
kee— On  Exhibition — Entertained  by  Young  Ladies — ■ 
The  Old  Lady's  Lecture  on  the  War — Sent  to  Wash- 
ington, Arkansas — -The  Guests  in  the  Parlor — In  the 
Court  House — Offer  of  "Jewelry  " — Rebel  Officers  on  a 
Spree — On  the  Road  to  Camden — Battle-Field  of  Prairie 


CONTENTS.  XV 

d'  Ann — Eating  Two  Days'  Rations  for  Supper — Slaugh- 
ter of  the  Colored  Troops — No  Quarter,   pp.  229 — 240 

CHAPTER  IV 
In  the  Cotton-Shed  at  Camden — Pandemonium — Sent  to 
the  Hospital — On  the  Road  Again — Guarded  by  Blood- 
Hounds — Prisoners  Lassoed — WadingThrough  a  Stream 
by  Request — Arrival  atShreveport — Meeting  Our  Regi- 
ment Homeward  Bound  —Our  First  Mail — No  Water 
for  "  Yankees  " — Camp  Ford — Home  Again — Sentenced 
— Our  New  Cabin — Northers — Presidential  Election — 
Tramping  in  the  Ring.  pp.  241 — 555 

CHAPTER  V 
The  Rebel  Army  Ordered  to  Richmond,  Va.— The  Troops 
Refuse  to  Cross  the  Mississippi — Invasion  of  Missouri 
— Rebel  Soldiers  Plundering  their  Own  People — Burial 
of  the  Beef — Plot  to  Overpower  the  Guards — 1,200 
Prisoners  Exchanged — Their  Condition  When  They 
Reached  New  Orleans — The  Last  Ditch — -Foreign  Inter- 
vention— Lee's  Surrender — The  War  to  Last  Forty 
Years  Longer — ''The  Gates  Ajar" — The  Homeward  Jour- 
ney— Under  the  Old  Flag — Mustered  Out— Description 
of  Camp  Ford,  Three  Months  After  our  Departure — De- 
struction of  Camp  Ford.  pp.  256 — 272 

APPENDIX. 
Additional  List  of  Killed  and  Wounded  of  the  48th  Ohio 
Vet.  Vols. — List  of   Officers  of   the  13th   Army  Corps, 
Prisoners   at   Camp   Ford,  Texas — Roster  of  the  Com- 
missioned Officers  of  the  48th  Ohio  Vet.  Vols. 

pp.  273—284 


ERRATUM. 

On  page  64,  line  14,  for  40,000  men,  read  30,000. 


HISTORY 


FORTY- EIGHTH  OHIO 

Veteran  Volunteer  Infantry. 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  Fall  of  Fort  Sumpter  — President's  Call  for  Vol- 
unteers—  Organization  of  a  Company  at  Lynchburg  — 
Recruiting  at  Camp  Harvey  —  Muster-in  at  Webertown 
—  Farewell  Sermon. 

|fij^HE  memorable  political  campaign  of  i860, 
ilsb  that  resulted  in  the  election  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln as  President,  was  over.  The  Southern  States, 
which  had  made  threats  of  leaving  the  Union  be- 
fore his  election,  began  to  secede,  one  after  anoth- 
er, and  the  whole  country  was  in  a  state  of  fever- 
ish excitement. 

No  one  seemed  to  be  able  to  avert  the  coming 
storm.  Thus  matters  stood,  until  that  eventful  day 
for  us,  as  a  nation,  arrived.  On  the  12th  day  of 
April,  1X61,,  Gen.  1'eauregard  made  the  attack  on 
Fort  Sumpter,  which,  after  a  terrific  bombardment 


2  HISTORY   OF  THE 

of  thirty-six  hours,  the  garrison,  under  command 
of  Maj.  Anderson,  was  compelled  to  surrender  to 
the  Confederate  forces. 

When  the  startling  news  flashed  over  the  wires, 
the  whole  North,  from  the  "shores  of  Maine,  to 
the  Pacific  Slope,"  arose  in  its  might.  Ignoring 
party  lines,  the  people  rallied  under  the  immortal 
words  of  Gen.  Jackson,  "The  Union  —it  must  and 
shall  be  preserved."  Then  the  President  called 
for  seventy-five  thousand  men,  to  serve  three 
months,  which  many  believed  would  settle  the 
whole  affair.  But  no  sooner  had  the  call  been 
filled,  and  the  troops  sent  to  the  front,  than  they 
were  outnumbered  by  the  seceding  States  at  every 
point. 

Another  call  was  made  by  the  President,  this 
time  for  three  hundred  thousand  volunteers,  to 
serve  three  years,  unless  sooner  discharged.  Fol- 
lowing the  call  came  the  reverse  at  Bull  Run, 
which  fell  with  stunning  effect  on  the  over-confi- 
dent North.  The  whole  effort  of  the  Government 
was  now  concentrated  on  a  vigorous  prosecution 
of  the  war. 

Up  to  this  time  volunteers  had  been  leaving 
Lynchburg,  Ohio,  singly  and  in  squads  of  three 
and  four,  to  join  the  regiments  then  organizing  in 
Camp  Dennison,  Ohio.  A  company  of  Home 
Guards  had  been  organized  in  August ;  but  no  one 
had  succeeded  in  raising  a  company  for  service 
in  the  field  until  John  W.  Frazee,  who  had  been 
teaching  a  select  school  at  Lynchburg,  proposed 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.   I.  3 

to  raise  a  company  for  active  service,  for  one 
year,  to  be  attached  to  the  60th  Reg't.  O.  V  I., 
then  organizing  at  Hillsboro,  Ohio.  He  had  no 
difficulty  in  collecting  around  him  fifteen  or  twen- 
ty men,  who  formed  the  nucleus  of  what  after- 
wards became  Company  C,  48th  Reg't.  O.  V   I. 

Sept.  20th,  186 1,  the  company  numbered  twen- 
ty-seven men.  An  election  of  commissioned  and 
non-commissioned  officers  was  held  in  the  school- 
house  at  Lynchburg,  which  resulted  in  the  election 
of  J.  W  Frazee,  Captain  ;  Peter  Brown,  1st  Lieut. ; 
T.  L.  Fields,  2d  Lieut;  Wm.  A.  Quarterman,  1st 
Sergt. ;  W  A.  Pratt,  J.  A.  Bering  and  Frank  Hol- 
laday,  Sergeants.  After  the  election,  the  com- 
pany, with  two  or  three  exceptions,  decided  to  en- 
list for  three  years. 

The  company  being  in  need  of  quarters,  Mr.  Jo- 
siah  Harvey  tendered  us  the  use  of  his  warehouse, 
which  was  accepted  and  named,  "Camp  Harvey." 

Regular  excursions  were  made  by  the  company 
from  the  camp  to  the  neighboring  villages,  where 
rousing  war  meetings  were  held,  and  sumptuous 
meals  spread  before  the  young  soldiers,  which 
generally  resulted  in  getting  new  recruits.  In  the 
course  of  our  travels  we  visited  Dodsonville,  Al- 
lensburg,  Danville,  Pricetown,  McCarty's  School- 
House,  Fayetteville,  and  Webertown.  At  the  lat- 
ter place,  on  the  3d  day  of  October,  1861,  after  a 
grand  supper  in  Liggett's  Grove,  the  company, 
numbering  sixty  men,  was  sworn  into  the  Unit- 
ed States  service  by  Capt.  J.  W.  Frazee,  who  had 


4  HISTORY   OF  THE 

just  returned  from  Columbus,  with  the  proper  au- 
thority. The  company  then  returned  to  Camp 
Harvey,  and  soldiering,  as  we  then  considered  it, 
began  in  earnest.  We  drilled  twice  a  day,  guards 
were  posted,  passes  and  furloughs  issued,  and 
strict  discipline  was  enforced.  And  last,  but  not 
least,  regular  details  for  cooks  were  made  each 
day.  A  two-horse  wagon  accompanied  us  on  our 
trips,  and  hauled  all  surplus  provisions  to  camp. 
Great  credit  is  due  the  patriotic  citizens  of  Lynch- 
burg and  vicinity,  for  their  liberality  in  contribut- 
ing to  those  grand  dinners  and  suppers,  and  in 
furnishing  Camp  Harvey,  free  of  all  expense  to 
the  Government,  the  necessary  supplies.  The  la- 
dies, in  particular,  will  be  ever  held  in  grateful 
remembrance,  for  their  untiring  efforts  in  con- 
tributing everything  necessary  to  make  us  com- 
fortable. Where  all  did  so  nobly  for  our  common 
cause,  it  is  difficult  to  particularize  any  one,  but 
we  cannot  pass  by  the  names  of  those  that  devot- 
ed their  time  and  labor  in  organizing  war  meet- 
ings and  making  patriotic  speeches.  Foremost 
among  them  were  Dr.  S.  J.  Spees,  Dr.  R.  Fulton, 
Rev.  N.  W  Cummins,  Hon.  A.  D.  Coombs,  Isaac 
Robb,  and  many  others.  To  such  patriotic  citi- 
zens was  due,  in  a  great  measure,  the  promptness 
with  which  the  company  was  recruited  and  sent 
to  the  field,  while  other  companies  were  months 
in  Camp  Dennison  before  they  were  filled. 

The  company  remained  at  Camp  Harvey  until 
Monday,    Oct.    14th,    when   we   were  ordered  to 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  5 

Camp  Dennison.  The  day  preceding,  the  compa- 
ny assembled  in  the  M,  E.  church,  at  2  o'clock 
P.  M.,  when  Rev,  Dr.  Fulton  preached  our  fare- 
well sermon,  to  a  large  congregation.  This  was 
jestingly  called  our  "  funeral  sermon,"  which,  alas! 
proved  too  true  to  many.  Of  the  twenty-three 
of  the  company  that  were  killed,  or  who  died  from 
disease  during  the  war,  not  one  was  ever  known 
to  have  a  sermon  preached  at  his  funeral. 


HISTORY   OF  THE 


CHAPTER  II. 

Leaving  Lynchburg  —  Arrival  at  Camp  Dennison — As- 
signed to  Quarters  — Drill  —  Uniforms  —  Tents — Vis- 
its of  Citizens  of  Lynchburg — Presentation  of  Swords 

—  New  Quarters  —  First   Payment — Full    Companies 

—  Regiment  Full — Field  and  Staff — Band — Monot- 
ony of  Camp  Life. 

|j|N  the  mean  time,  Capt.  Frazee  had  been  to 
ill  Camp  Dennison,  and  decided  to  attach  his 
company  to  the  48th  Regt.  O.  V"  I.,  Col.  Sullivan, 
commanding.  Long  before  dawn  on  the  14th, 
the  people  of  the  surrounding  country  began  to 
wend  their  way  to  Lynchburg,  to  witness  the  com- 
pany's departure,  which  now  numbered  82,  offi- 
cers and  men.  After  parading  through  the  prin- 
cipal streets,  we  halted  in  front  of  our  camp,  and 
took  leave  of  our  families  and  friends.  The  part- 
ing over,  we  boarded  the  cars,  and  were  off  to  join 
our  Regiment. 

We  arrived  at  Camp  Dennison  at  10  A.  M.  and 
were  introduced  to  Colonel  P.  J  Sullivan,  who 
welcomed  us  in  a  short,  patriotic  speech,  after 
which  we  gave  him  three  rousing  cheers,  and 
were  marched  to  the  quarters  of  Capt.  Parker's 
company,  from  New  Lexington,  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  where  we  partook  of  our  first  meal,  furnish- 
ed by  "Uncle  Sam,"  which  consisted  of  coffee> 


FORTY  EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  7 

rice,  potatoes,  bacon  and  bread.  Quite  a  change 
from  Camp  Harvey  rations,  of  beefsteak,  roast 
chicken,  cakes,  pies,  preserves,  &c,  &c.  After 
dinner  we  were  examined  by  a  regular  Army  Sur- 
geon. Our  previous  examination  had  been  made 
by  Dr.  S,  J.  Spees.  The  surgeon  rejected  R.  B. 
Barnett,  Peter  Snider,  William  Stroup  and  John 
Aber ;  but  they  were  finally  accepted,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  them  proved  as  able  for  the  service  as 
many  others,  who  passed  the  examination.  We 
were  then  assigned  to  our  quarters,  consisting  of 
frame  shanties,  ten  by  twelve  feet,  with  room  suf- 
ficient to  accommodate  twelve  men.  Each  compa- 
ny had  eight  shanties,  one  kitchen,  and  a  building 
for  the  officers. 

We  have  given  the  history  of  the  company,  from 
its  organization  until  it  linked  its  fortunes  with  the 
48th  Ohio.  And  now  we  will  trace  the  history  of 
the  Regiment,  through  the  long  and  tedious  years 
of  the  war. 

The  every  day  duty  of  the  Regiment  was  squad, 
company  and  battalion  drill,  with  dress  parade  in 
the  evening,  besides  regular  guard  and  fatigue 
duty.  On  Sundays,  at  9  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  com- 
panies were  drawn  up  in  a  line,  and  inspected  by 
their  respective  Captains.  After  the  inspection 
the  first  Sergeants  read  the  "Articles  of  War,"  in 
which  nearly  every  other  section  ended,  "Any  vio- 
lator of  said  section  shall  suffer  death,  or  such  other 
punishment  as  by  a  court  martial  shall  be  inflict- 
ed." 


8  HISTORY    OF   THE 

After  inspection  the  companies  were  dismissed 
until  11  o'clock  A.  M.  when  they  were  marched 
to  the  Colonel's  quarters,  where  a  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  Chaplain.  With  dress-parade  in 
the  evening,  the  Sabbath  day  duties  were  closed, 
excepting  for  those  on  guard. 

Oct.  20th,  we  received  our  suits  of  blue,  and  on 
the  day  following  our  tents,  and  were  instructed 
in  pitching  and  striking  tents.  Oct.  28th,  the  citi- 
zens ot  Lynchburg  and  vicinity  sent  a  large  dele- 
gation, with  well-filled  baskets,  and  three  beautiful 
regulation  swords,  and  presented  them  to  Capt. 
Frazee,  Lieutenants  Brown  and  Fields,  Hon.  A.  D. 
Coombs  making  the  presentation  address,  which 
was  pronounced  by  all  who  heard  it,  truly  elo- 
quent and  very  appropriate  for  the  occasion.  The 
officers  responded,  by  pledging  themselves  never 
to  betray  the  confidence  reposed  in  them  by  their 
friends.  Remarks  were  also  made  by  Gen.  M.  S, 
Wade,  Commanding  Officer  of  Camp  Dennison, 
and  Col.  Sullivan. 

Nov.  8th,  we  moved  out  of  the  old  shanties  into 
tents,  to  enable  the  carpenters  to  remove  them  and 
build  new  quarters.  We  remained  in  the  tents 
until  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  when  we  took 
possession  of  our  new  buildings.  They  Were 
large  and  comfortable;  100  feet  long  by  22  feet 
wide,  with  three  tiers  of  bunks,  the  full  length,  on 
each  side,  capable  of  accommodating  98  men,  with 
a  large,  commodious  kitchen  in  the  rear,  and  a 
separate  building  for  the  use  of  the  commissioned 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  9 

officers  of  each  company.  Two  large  wood-stoves 
were  furnished  each  building  for  heating  purposes, 
making  very  comfortable  quarters  for  the  winter. 

Jan.  15th,  the  Paymaster  arrived,  and  paid  our 
Regiment  up  to  the  first  of  January,  which  settled 
the  oft-disputed  question  whether  we  would  ever 
get  any  pay  for  our  services.  All  under  five  dol- 
lars was  paid  in  coin,  and  all  above  that  sum  in 
U.  S.  demand  notes,  redeemable  in  coin.  It  is 
needless  to  add,  that  we  never  saw  any  more  hard 
money  during  the  war,  While  the  money  lasted, 
the  sutler  did  a  flourishing  business  on  the  cash 
basis,  but  it  was  not  of  long  duration;  for  he  was 
soon  compelled  to  adopt  the  credit  system  again. 

The  fall  we  went  to  Camp  Dennison  was  warm 
and  dry,  until  late  in  the  season,  when  it  turned 
cold  and  very  wet.  This,  with  the  heavy  guard- 
duty  to  perform,  produced  considerable  sickness. 
The  latter  part  of  January,  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  men  were  on  the  sick  list  in  each  company, 
and  the  quarters  had  the  appearance  of  a  hospital. 
The  general  health  did  not  improve  much  until 
the  middle  of  February,  although  none  of  the  cases 
proved  fatal  at  the  time.  The  close  confinement 
to  camp,  and  the  strict  discipline,  made  the  Regi- 
ment very  restless,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  Jan- 
uary recruiting  had  almost  come  to  a  stand-still. 
The  companies  that  had  their  complement  of  men 
were  :  companies  A,  Capt.  Parker,  Highland 
county  ;  H,  Capt.  Warner,  Delaware  county  ;  C, 
Capt.  Frazee,  Highland  county;  D,  Capt.  Elwood, 


IO  HISTORY   OF   THE 

Clinton  county  ;  E,  Capt.  Ireland,  Miami  county  ; 
F,  Capt.  Moats,  Defiance  county;  G,  Capt.  Miller, 
Brown  county ;  K,  Capt.  Peterson,  Cincinnati ; 
leaving  H  and  I  scarcely  organized.  But  a  call 
had  been  made  for  troops  for  the  South-west, 
therefore  the  two  companies  were  made  up  by 
transferring  the  surplus  from  those  companies  that 
had  over  eighty-two  men. 

The  companies  were  lettered  and  occupied  their 
positions  in  the  Regiment  in  the  rotation  of  the 
alphabet,  and  remained  so  during  the  service.  It 
has  been  stated  that  but  one  other  regiment  from 
Ohio  had  been  organized  in  the  same  manner. 

The  Regiment  having  its  full  number  of  compa- 
nies, and  the  required  number  of  men  to  entitle 
it  to  the  full  complement  of  field  and  staff  officers, 
Governor  Dennison  made  the  following  appoint- 
ments :  Peter  J.  Sullivan,  Colonel ;  J.  R.  Parker, 
Lieut-Col.  ;  Jas.  S.  Wise,  Major  ;  M.  F.  Cary,  Sur- 
geon ;  A.  A.  Johnson,  Ass't  Surgeon;  R.  C.  Mc- 
Gill,  Adjutant ;  W.  E.  Brayman,  Quartermaster ; 
John  F-  Spence,  Chaplain.  Col.  Sullivan  appoint- 
ed the  following  non-commissioned  staff:  H.  C. 
Stewart,Quartermaster  Serg't.;  Ed.  Conklin,  Serg't 
Major;  Doctor  Boone,  Hospital  Steward.  At  con- 
siderable expense,  silver  cornet  instruments  were 
purchased  for  the  Band,  which  had  been  recruited 
for  the  Regiment. 

Camp  life  was  getting  to  be  very  monotonous 
and  irksome,  and  the  time  seemed  long  to  us,  ly- 
ing thus  inactive  in  camp,  while  every  train  was 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  II 

loaded  with  troops  going  to  the  front,  to  engage  in 
active  service.  Our  ideas  of  war,  then,  were  rath- 
er of  a  romantic  order.  A  skirmish,  we  supposed, 
would  be  a  recreation,  and  a  battle  a  real  enjoy- 
ment, and  some  were  even  worried  for  fear  the 
war  would  be  over  before  we  arrived,  and  peace 
declared  before  we  ever  fired  a  gun.  But  these 
romantic  notions  passed  away,  in  the  active  ser- 
vice which  soon  followed. 


12  HISTORY    OF   THE 


CHAPTER  III. 

Marching  Orders  —  Steamboat  Ride  Down  the  Ohio  — 
Paducah  —  Without  Arms  —  Rumors  of  an  Attack  — 
Armed  with  Austrian  Rifles  —  Up  the  Tennessee  —  Fort 
Henry  —  Hog  Mountain  —  First  Shot  —  Savannah  — 
Pittsburg  Landing  —  Death  of  Capt.  Ireland  —  Rebel 
Graves  —  Disembarking  —  First  Camp, 

|jj§j|UNDAY,  February  16,  1862,  while  at  Divine 
HH  service  in  Company  K's  quarters,  we  received 
orders  to  leave  the  following  morning,  for  Padu- 
cah, Ky.  All  was  now  bustle  and  confusion. 
There  were  letters  to  write,  rations  to  cook,  knap- 
sacks to  pack,  teams  to  load,  &c,  &c,  but  at  it 
we  went  with  enthusiasm,  and  by  hard  work  we 
were  ready  at  the  appointed  time.  What  it  took 
us  then  twenty-four  hours  to  do,  we  accomplished 
afterward  at  a  moment's  warning.  We  did  not 
get  started  until  2:15  P.  M.,  leaving  the  sick  be- 
hind in  the  hospital.  We  arrived  in  Cincinnati  at 
3  P.  M.,  marched  through  the  lower  part  of  the 
city,  and  halted  at  the  public  landing.  Compa- 
nies B,  C,  D  and  E,  embarked  on  the  steamer 
Hastings,  the  rest  of  the  Regiment  and  the  Band 
on  the  steamer  Argonaut. 

The  boats  being  small,  we  were  necessarily  very 
much  crowded.  Left  Cincinnati  during  the  night, 
and  owing  to  the  novelty  of  the  trip,  we  were  all 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.    I.  13 

out  at  early  dawn,  on  the  hurricane  deck,  to  Lret  a 
glimpse  of  the  country.  The  sun  rose  beautifully, 
but  the  air  was  cold.  After  roll-call  on  the  hurri- 
cane deck,  we  spread  our  blankets  aad  lay  down 
in  the  sun  to  enjoy  our  free  ride.  We  passed  Lou- 
isville in  the  evening,  and  on  account  of  the  low 
stage  of  the  river,  we  had  some  difficulty  in  getting 
over  the  falls.  The  following  day  it  commenced 
raining  and  turned  to  sleet  in  the  afternoon,  which 
made  it  very  unpleasant  outside  of  the  cabin. 

We  arrived  at  Paducah,  Ky.,  the  following  day, 
Feb.  20th,  disembarked,  and  marched  up  the  Ten- 
nessee river  a  half  mile,  and  pitched  our  tents  in 
the  old  camp  of  the  8th  Mo.  Reg't.  We  found  it 
in  good  condition.  The  streets  had  been  gravel- 
ed, and  rude  furnaces  were  under  each  tent.  We 
now  commenced  our  picket,  fatigue  and  guard  duty 
in  the  enemy's  country.  We  were  still  without  arms, 
and  when  ordered  on  picket  were  compelled  to 
use  old,  worthless  muskets.  There  was  not  even 
a  sufficient  supply  of  that  kind  of  arms,  therefore 
we  were  compelled  to  transfer  them  to  each  suc- 
ceeding relief. 

Sending  us  into  the  enemy's  country  without 
arms  created  considerable  dissatisfaction  in  the 
Regiment.  Rumors  came  in  thick,  that  the  Reb- 
els, who  were  in  strong  force  at  Columbus,  Ky., 
only  thirty  miles  distant,  were  preparing  for  an  at- 
tack on  Paducah.  We  remained  in  camp,  engag- 
ed in  drilling,  fatigue,  guard  and  picket  duty,  until 
March  5th,  when  we  were  armed  with  the  Austrian 


14  HISTORY   OF  THE 

Rifle,  which  proved  to  be  an  inferior  gun,  especi- 
ally for  continued,  rapid  firing.  We  were  drilled 
in  the  manual  of  arms,  and  all  preparations  were 
made  to  repel  an  attack  from  the  enemy. 

March  6th,  we  were  ordered  up  the  Tennessee 
River.  We  were  placed  in  the  4th  Brigade,  5  th 
Division,  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  The  Brigade 
was  composed  of  the  48th,  70th  and  72d  Reg'ts.  O. 
V  I.,  and  commanded  by  Col.  R.  P.  Buckland,  of 
the  7  2d,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  commanding  the 
Division.  In  organizing  the  Division  and  Brigade, 
Lieuts.  Partridge  and  Coverdale  were  detached  on 
staff  duty,  which  severed  their  connection  with  the 
Regiment. 

We  embarked  on  the  steamer  Empress,  which 
had  a  supply  of  commissary  stores,  also  200  head 
of  beef  cattle  for  the  army.  The  sick  were  left  be- 
hind in  the  Gothic  Hospital.  We  proceeded  up 
the  Tennessee  river  to  Fort  Henry,  where  the  army 
was  concentrating,  and  arrived  there  the  following 
day,  March  8th.  The  steamer  moved  about  six 
miles  up  the  river,  where  the  Regiment  was  per- 
mitted to  disembark,  to  enable  the  soldiers  to  cook 
their  rations,  and  practice  with  the  new  Austrian 
rifles.  Some  of  the  Regiment  did  not  stop  at  tar- 
get-practice, but  tried  their  skill  on  a  lot  of  hogs. 
This  was  the  first  foraging  that  the  Regiment  in- 
dulged  in.  In  referring  to  that  place  afterward,  it 
was  designated  as  "  Hog  Mountain."  In  the  eve- 
ing  the  boat  dropped  back  to  Fort  Henry. 

On  the  9th  the  fleet,  consisting  of  eighty-two 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.   I.  15 

steamers,  loaded  with  troops,  started  up  the  river, 
passing  the  Memphis  and  Ohio  Railroad  bridge, 
which  had  been  burned  to  the  water's  edge  a  short 
time  previous.  We  arrived  at  Savannah,  Tennes- 
see, on  the  nth,  and  were  greeted  by  large  crowds 
of  citizens,  who  seemed  to  hail  us  with  delight — - 
especially  the  slaves. 

The  only  incident  worthy  of  note  transpired  on 
the  10th,  as  we  were  passing  a  high  bank,  where 
a  number  of  women  and  children  were  cheering 
us,  by  waving  their  handkerchiefs.  When  just 
above  them,  among  the  cedars,  there  was  heard 
the  sharp  crack  of  a  musket  and  the  whiz  of  the 
buck  and  ball.  One  buck-shot  was  extracted  from 
the  coat-collar  of  one  of  the  Regiment,  who  was 
standing  near  the  bow  of  the  boat.  The  rebel 
made  good  his  escape,  through  the  timber.  This 
being  the  first  shot  the  regiment  had  received  from 
the  Rebels,  it  created  considerable  excitement. 

On  the  13th,  our  Division  was  ordered  up  to 
Eastport,  Miss.,  to  cut  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton R.  R.  and  thus  prevent  Gen.  A.  S.  Johnston 
from  reinforcing  the  rebel  forces,  under  command 
of  Gen.  Beauregard,  who  were  encamped  at  Cor- 
inth, Miss.,  which  is  the  junction  of  the  Mobile  & 
Ohio  and  the  Memphis  &  Charleston  R.  R.  The 
plan  was  abandoned,  on  account  of  the  heavy  rains 
and  high  waters,  and  we  returned  to  Pittsburg 
Landing  on  the  15th  of  March.  Capt.  Ireland, 
who  had  been  sick  for  several  days,  died  that  night, 
and  was  buried  with  military  honors  the  following 


1 6  HISTORY   OF   THE 

day,  Sabbath.  This  was  the  first  death  in  the  Reg- 
iment, that  had  occurred  in  the  South. 

During  the  day  we  visited  the  battle-ground  of 
the  gun-boat  engagement,  that  took  place  on  the 
first  of  the  month,  and  saw  the  graves  of  the  rebel 
dead.  Their  burial  had  "been  hurried,  for  they 
were  but  a  few  inches  under  ground,  and  many  of 
their  faces  were  exposed  to  view. 

Tuesday  morning,  March  18th,  after  a  confine- 
ment of  twelve  days  on  board  the  boat,  we  disem- 
barked at  Pittsburg  Landing.  The  only  build- 
ings there  were  a  store-house,  a  grocery  and  a 
dwelling.  From  here  roads  led  to  the  neighbor- 
ing villages  of  Corinth  and  Purdy.  The  rebels 
had  erected  a  battery  on  the  high  bluffs  above  the 
landing  some  months  previous,  but  it  had  been  cap- 
tured by  the  gun-boats  on  the  first  of  March.  We 
camped  a  half  mile  from  the  river,  where  we  re- 
mained three  days. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 7 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BATTLE     OF     SHILOH. 

Camp  at  Shiloh  Church —  Reconnoisance  —  Lieut.  Greer 
Captured  —  Orders  for  Strict  Watch  —  Battle  Immi- 
nent —  The  Attack  of  April  6th  —  Long-Boll  —  In  Line 
of  Battle  —  To  the  Support  of  the  Pickets  —  Counter- 
March —  Second  Line  of  Battle  —  The  Bebel  Charge 
and  Repulse  —  Arrival  of  Capt.  Hammond  —  Orders 
to  Retreat — New  Position  —  Repulse  of  the  Enemy — 
Camp  of  the  81st  Ohio  —  Arrival  at  the  Landing  — 
Advance  to  Support  a  Battery —  Arrival  of  Gen.  Buell's 
Troops  —  The  Rebel  Charge — Their  Repulse  and  Re- 
treat —  Night  —  Rain. 

§HE  day  before  we  disembarked,  Gen.  Grant 
relieved  Gen.  C.  F.  Smith,  who  had  been 
placed  in  command  of  the  expedition  when  we 
left  Paducah.  He  was  relieved  on  account  of 
sickness,  of  which  he  died  soon  after. 

On  the  21st  we  advanced  about  four  miles  to  a 
new  camp,  situated  in  a  light- timbered  woods, 
about  one  hundred  rods  to  the  right  of  the  Shiloh 
church,  which  stood  on  the  brow  of  a  hill,  sloping 
southward.  At  its  base,  and  nearly  two  hundred 
yards  in  our  front,  was  Owl  Creek.  To  the  left, 
and  in  front  of  the  church,  the  third  brigade  of  our 
Division  was  camped  ;  on  our  left  the  70th  Ohio, 
and  to  the  right  the  73d  Ohio. 


1 8  HISTORY    OF   THE 

The  whole  country,  from  the  Landing  to  the 
fortifications  around  Corinth,  was  a  dense  forest, 
except  where  a  few  small  plantations  had  been 
cleared.  Ourfirst  duty,  after  pitching  tents,  was 
picket ;  then  followed  brigade  review  by  Gen.  Sher- 
man ;  also,  company  and  battalion  drill,  and  fa- 
tigue duty,  until  Thursday,  April  3d,  when  our 
Brigade  made  a  reconnoisance  about  five  miles  on 
the  road  to  Corinth.  We  halted  near  a  point  where 
the  road  forked,  and  formed  in  line  of  battle.  Two 
companies  from  the  Regiment  advanced  as  skir- 
mishers, and  were  soon  engaged  with  the  rebel 
cavalry  ;  but  as  the  orders  were  "not  to  be  drawn  in- 
to battle,"  the  skirmishers  fell  back  to  the  Brigade, 
and  we  returned  to  camp,  arriving  a  little  before 
dark.  The  next  day,  April  4th,  at  about  2  P.  M., 
the  left  of  our  picket-line  was  attacked  by  the  ene- 
my s  cavalry,  and  eight  of  the  70th  Ohio  were  cap- 
tured, together  with  Lieut.  Greer,  of  the  48th,  who 
was  on  Col.  Buckland's  staff. 

The  long-roll  beat,  and  we  were  hurried  on 
double-quick  to  the  picket-line.  Arriving  there, 
we  formed  in  line  of  battle  with  the  Brigade,  and 
waited  for  the  attack.  But  the  rebels,  after  having 
made  a  dash  on  our  pickets,  retreated  in  haste, 
losing  several  killed  and  wounded,  and  a  few  pris- 
oners. 

Saturday,  the  5th,  all  was  quiet  during  the  day, 
until  about  5  o'clock  P.  M.,  when  the  long-roll 
beat  again.  We  immediately  formed  on  our  color- 
line,  and  remained  an  hour,  when  the  firing  ceased, 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 9 

and  we  were  dismissed,  with  orders  to  fall  in  line 
at  a  moment's  warning. 

These  frequent  attacks  on  the  pickets,  and  the 
bold  manner  in  which  the  rebel  cavalry  maneuv- 
ered in  our  front,  convinced  us  that  their  army 
was  in  force  in  our  immediate  front.  The  pickets 
were  strengthened,  and  the  officers  of  the  camp- 
guard  received  strict  orders  to  notify  Col.  Sulli- 
van of  any  picket-firing  during  the  night;  and  it 
is  needless  to  add,  that  every  one  in  the  Regiment 
felt  that  we  were  on  the  eve  of  a  battle.  But  dur- 
ing the  night  all  was  unusually  still.  No  long-roll 
or  bugle-sound  disturbed  the  slumbering  camp. 

At  early  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  Com- 
pany C  was  notified  at  roll-call,  to  prepare  for 
picket  duty  that  day.  While  at  breakfast,  between 
6  and  7  o'clock,  the  occasional  picket-firing  on 
our  left,  which  had  been  kept  up  since  daylight, 
increased  to  volleys.  The  long-roll  beat,  and  with 
our  usual  promptness  the  Regiment  formed  on  the 
color-line.  During  this  time  the  rattle  of  musket- 
ry and  roar  of  artillery  became  almost  deafening 
on  our  left.  In  about  twenty  minutes  the  pickets 
in  our  front  commenced  firing,  which  told  us  the 
enemy  was  advancing,  when  Col.  Buckland  or- 
dered our  Regiment  forward  to  their  support. 
The  head  of  the  Regiment  had  scarcely  reached 
Owl  Creek,  when  we  discovered  the  enemy,  by 
their  glistening  bayonets,  forming  in  line  of  battle 
on  our  side  of  the  creek  We  countermarched 
and  formed  on  the  left  of  the  72d  Ohio,  who  were 


20  HISTORY    OF    THE 

then  about  a  hundred  yards  in  front  of  their  color- 
line,  and  in  line  of  battle,  facing  the  enemy.  The 
left  of  our  Regiment  was  scarcely  in  line,  when 
the  rebels,  who  were  not  more  than  a  hundred 
yards  distant,  opened  on  our  ranks,  killing  and 
wounding  a  number  of  the  Regiment  at  their  first 
fire. 

Almost  simultaneous  with  their  first  volley,  came 
the  discharge  of  our  front  rank,  which  was  quickly 
followed  by  that  of  the  rear.  By  this  time  the 
battle  became  general  all  along  the  line.  We 
made  use  of  what  little  shelter  the  trees  and  logs 
afforded,  and  continued  to  pour  volley  after  volley 
into  the  rebel  ranks,  when  they,  receiving  re-en- 
forcements, attempted  to  charge  on  our  lines,  but 
were  repulsed  and  driven  back  to  the  crest  of  the 
hill,  where  they  took  shelter  again,  returning  our 
fire  with  that  unabating  fury  that  had  been  thin- 
ning our  ranks  since  their  first  volley. 

The  Regiment,  with  the  Brigade,  held  its  ground 
against  great  odds,  repulsing  every  charge  until 
near  10  A.  M.,  when  the  troops  on  our  left  were 
driven  back,  which  exposed  our  left  flank  to  an 
enfilading  fire,  that  compelled  us  to  fall  back  about 
a  hundred  yards  to  our  color-line,  where  we  fixed 
bayonets  for  a  charge.  While  here,  a  battery  of 
artillery  came  to  our  assistance,  but  soon  left, 
without  firing  a  gun.  Just  as  the  enemy  began  to 
press  us  on  our  left,  Capt.  Hammond,  of  Sher- 
man s  staff,  rode  up,  complimented  our  Colonel 
and  Regiment  for  their  bravery,  saying  that  ours 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  21 

was  the  first  Regiment  that  he  had  found  that  had 
withstood  the  terrific  fire,  without  being  driven 
from  their  color-line.  He  said,  Gen.  Sherman's 
order  was  to  fall  back  to  the  Purdy  road,  and  then 
keep  in  line  of  the  72d  Ohio,  if  it  became  neces- 
sary to  retreat  farther.  We  about-faced  and  re- 
treated through  our  camp  to  the  Purdy  road. 

We  had  scarcely  halted,  when  a  battery  came 
dashing  along  the  road  at  full  speed,  to  our  right. 
They  had  passed  us  but  a  short  distance  when  they 
were  captured.  After  falling  back  about  half  a 
mile,  under  a  heavy  fire,  we  took  a  stong  position 
at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  in  front  of  which  was  an  open 
field,  and  from  which  we  repulsed  the  enemy, 
causing  them  to  fall  back  in  disorder.  We  were 
now  cut  off  from  the  river  by  the  road.  Behind 
us  were  the  marshy  bottoms  of  Owl  Creek;  in 
our  front  was  the  victorious  rebel  army  ;  to  our 
left,  Pittsburg  Landing.  After  a  consultation, 
as  we  were  detached  from  our  Division,  we  took 
the  nearest  practicable  route  to  the  Landing. — 
During  the  retreat  we  were  continually  within  mus- 
ket and  artillery  range  of  the  enemy.  When  we 
reached  the  camp  of  the  8ist  Ohio,  the  two  wings 
of  the  Regiment  that  had  been  separated  on  the 
retreat,  were  reunited. 

From  here  we  were  ordered  to  guard  a  bridge 
over  Owl  Creek,  but  had  proceeded  but  a  short 
distance  when  the  order  was  countermanded,  and 
we  resumed  our  march  to  the  Landing,  where  we 
arrived  about  an  hour  later.     In  the  little  strip  of 


2  2  HISTORY    OF    THE 

bottom  below  the  Landing,  we  stacked  our  arms, 
and  filled  our  canteens  at  the  river,  after  which  we 
fell  in  line  and  advanced  to  the  front,  and  were 
greeted  on  all  sides  by  deafening  cheers  by  the 
troops,  who  thought  we  were  the  advance  of  Gen. 
Buell's  army,  who  were  then  expected  every  mo- 
ment. But  when  we  told  them  we  had  been  in 
the  battle  all  day,  their  cheers  died  away,  and  they 
looked  more  gloomy  than  ever.  Our  army  had 
been  driven  back  all  day,  along  our  entire  line, 
until  about  4  o'clock  P.  M.,  when  all  our  artillery 
was  formed  in  a  semi-circle  of  about  a  mile  in 
length,  with  half  that  distance  from  the  center  to 
the  Landing. 

We  had  marched  to  the  front  to  support  a  bat- 
tery of  siege  guns,  but  no  sooner  had  we  occupied 
our  position,  than  the  enemy  opened  on  us  a  fright- 
ful fire  from  their  artillery.  They  then  entered  the 
ravine  in  our  front,  to  make  the  final  charge,  and 
drive  us  into  the  Tennessee  river.  Then  came  the 
"rebel  yell,"  that  we  had  heard  so  often  that  day, 
and  we  knew  that  the  charge  would  follow.  After 
that  there  was  a  perfect  calm.  We  could  hear  the 
heavy  tramp  of  the  rebel  columns  advancing  on 
double-quick.  The  next  moment  our  cannoneers 
sprang  to  their  posts  and  discharged  their  double- 
shotted  guns,  loaded  with  grape  and  canister,  at 
the  rebel  ranks,  not  more  than  fifty  yards  distant, 
while  the  infantry  poured  forth  an  incessant  fire  of 
musketry.  The  ground  seemed  to  tremble,  and 
the  woods  before  us  were  swept  by  a  storm  of  shell 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  23 

and  canister.  Men  and  horses  succumbed  to  the 
withering  fire,  and  when  the  smoke  cleared  away 
the  rebels  were  seen  in  full  retreat,  flying  in  every 
direction. 

During  this  charge  the  troops  under  Gen.  Buell 
began  to  arrive.  They  dropped  their  knapsacks 
and  gave  the  enemy  a  parting  volley.  But  the  day 
of  carnage  had  now  closed,  and  darkness  and  rain 
came  down  on  the  dead  and  dying,  who  lay  on  the 
battle-field  of  Shiloh.  Thus  ended  one  of  the 
bloodiest  days  of  the  war. 

After  receiving  a  few  crackers,  the  Regiment 
was  ordered  forward.  Groping  our  way  through 
the  darkness  for  about  a  mile,  we  lay  down  in  line 
of  battle,  ready  to  renew  the  conflict  on  the  com- 
ing morrow.  But  little  sleep  did  we  get,  between 
the  rain  and  the  continued  cannonading  of  the 
gun-boats,  mingled  with  the  groans  of  the  wounded 
and  dying. 

The  rebels  occupied  our  camps  that  night,  for 
Gen.  Beauregard,  in  his  official  report  of  the  bat- 
tle, says : 

"  I  accordingly  established  my  headquarters  at 
the  Church  at  Shiloh,  in  the  enemy's  encampment, 
with  Gen.  Bragg,  and  directed  our  troops  to  sleep 
on  their  arms,  in  such  positions,  in  advance  and 
rear,  as  corps  commanders  should  determine,  hop- 
ing from  news  received  by  special  dispatch,  that 
delays  had  been  encountered  by  Gen.  Buell  in  his 
march  from  Columbia,  and  that  his  main  forces 
therefore  could  not  reach  the  field  of  battle  in  time 


24  HISTORY    OF   THE 

to  save  Gen.  Grant's  shattered  fugitive  forces  from 
capture  or  destruction  the  following  day.  About 
six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  April, 
however,  a  hot  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery 
opened  from  the  enemy's  quarter  on  our  advance 
line,  assured  me  of  the  junction  of  his  forces,  and 
soon  the  battle  raged  with  such  fury  as  satisfied 
me  I  was  attacked  by  a  largely  superior  force." 


FORTY  EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  25 


CHAPTER  V 


THE    BATTLE    CONTINUED. 


Battle  of  the  Seventh  —  The  Final  Eout — Reoccupying 
Our  Camps  —  The  Battle-field  —  Burial  of  the  Dead  — 
Following  the  Enemy  on  the  Eighth  —  The  Attack  on 
the  77th  Ohio  — The  48th  Ohio  to  Their  Support  — Re- 
turn to  Camp  —  Our  Dead  and  Wounded  —  Extracts 
from  the  Cincinnati  Dailies  —  The  Battle  No  Surprise 
—  Loss  in  Both  Armies  —  Extracts  from  Gen.  Sher- 
man's Official  Report — Arrival  of  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission—  Gen.  Halleck  Takes  Command  —  Band  Dis- 
charged —  Drill. 

SjH^URING  the  night  the  army  was  reinforced  by 
slUP  the  arrival  of  the  remainder  of  the  troops  un- 
der Generals  Buell  and  Wallace. 

At  early  dawn  on  the  following  morning,  we 
advanced  with  our  Division,  and  met  the  enemy 
at  9  A  M.  Their  artillery  was  posted  on  a 
ridge,  commanding  an  open  field,  which  their  bat- 
teries could  rake  from  end  to  end.  We  charged 
over  on  double-quick,  under  a  heavy  artillery  fire, 
and  took  possession  of  a  piece  of  timber  on  the 
opposite  side.  Our  batteries  were  soon  brought  to 
the  front,  when  a  regular  artillery  duel  followed, 
which  lasted  about  two  hours,  and  at  times  became 
almost  deafening,  sending  the  shell  and  solid  shot 
crashing  through  the  timber,  and  tearing  up  the 


26  HISTORY   OF   THE 

ground  around  us.  Our  troops  being  placed  in 
supporting  distance,  were  in  better  positions  to  as- 
sist each  other  than  on  the  previous  day,  and  at 
each  attack  of  the  rebels  they  were  met  by  an 
equal  force,  and  thus  gradually  they  were  com- 
pelled to  yield  the  ground  they  had  driven  us 
from  the  day  before.  It  was  near  i  o'clock  P.  M. 
when  they  began  cautiously  |o  retreat,  making  a 
stand  at  every  advantageous  point,  and  delivering 
their  fire  with  considerable  effect,  but  being  hotly 
pressed  by  our  army,  they  finally  gave  way  at 
about  4  P.  M.,  and  the  rout  became  general.  Our 
cavalry  started  in  pursuit,  following  the  retreating 
enemy  several  miles  toward  Corinth. 

The  enemy  was  already  in  retreat,  and  victory 
nearly  won,  when  Col.  Sullivan  had  his  left  arm 
shattered  by  a  musket-ball,  and  Capt.  Warner,  of 
Company  B,  a  brave  and  daring  officer,  was  killed. 

We  then  proceeded  to  take  possession  of  our  old 
camp,  which  we  found  in  utter  confusion,  owing  to 
the  two  days'  battle  over  the  same  ground,  and 
the  occupation  of  our  tents  Sunday  night  by  the 
enemy.  In  our  absence  our  private  property,  in- 
cluding clothing,  had  been  carried  away.  Our 
camp  and  the  battle-field  was  a  heart-sickening 
sight.  The  bodies  of  dead  horses  and  wrecks  of 
wagons,  caissons,  guns,  and  all  kinds  of  war  imple- 
ments, were  strewn  over  the  battle-field.  The 
dead  were  lying  in  every  conceivable  shape. — 
Some  had  fallen  with  their  guns  fast  in  their  hands ; 
others  had  received  the  messenger  of  death,  and 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  2? 

with  their  life-blood  ebbing  away,  had  sought  the 
shelter  of  logs  and  trees,  and  laid  down  to  die. 

At  one  place,  five  rebels  had  found  shelter  be- 
hind a  small  tree,  one  behind  the  other  in  a  row, 
when  a  cannon-ball  struck  a  root  in  front  of  them, 
and  glancing  upward,  passed  diagonally  through 
each  one — the  first  at  the  hips,  and  the  last  at  the 
head,  severing  it  from  the  body  !  But  why  dwell 
longer  on  the  horrid  sights  that  met  the  gaze  all 
around? 

That  night,  hungry  and  weary,  we  slept  once 
more  in  our  old  camp.  Early  next  morning,  the 
8th,  we  buried  the  dead  in  front  of  the  position  we 
held  on  Sunday  morning.  Twenty  graves  were 
dug,  where  we  buried  the  dead  of  our  Regiment, 
and  seventy  dead  rebels  were  buried  in  one  long 
trench. 

At  8  o'clock  A.  M.  the  Regiment  was  ordered 
forward  with  the  Division,  to  follow  up  the  retreat- 
ing enemy,  in  the  direction  of  Corinth.  After 
marching  about  a  mile,  we  came  to  the  camp  that 
the  rebels  occupied  on  Saturday  night.  All  along 
our  line  of  march,  could  be  seen  remains  of  the  re- 
treating rebels,  fresh-made  graves,  and  the  wound- 
ed and  unburied  dead.  We  had  marched  about 
five  miles,  when  the  77th  Ohio,  who  were  in  ad- 
vance, were  suddenly  attacked  in  an  open  cotton- 
field,  by  the  rebel  cavalry,  and  overpowered  by 
superior  numbers.  We  were  ordered  on  double- 
quick  to  their  support.  When  we  emerged  from 
the  woods  the  rebels  retreated  in  haste,  leaving 


28  HISTORY    OF   THE 

the  field  to  our  possession.  The  77  th  lost,  in  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  one-third  their  number, 
and,  but  for  our  prompt  arrival,  the  whole  Regi- 
ment would  have  been  annihilated.  Among  the 
captured  was  Capt.  McCormick,  who  was  afterward 
a  prisoner  at  Camp  Ford,  Texas.  We  halted  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  field,  and  remained  in  line 
of  battle  until  near  dark.  This  engagement  went 
by  the  name  of  "Fallen  Timber,"  from  the  many 
trees  that  lay  over  the  field.  We  returned  to  our 
camp  that  evening,  reaching  it  about  11  o'clock. 

The  entire  route  was  through  mud  and  mire, 
and  covered  with  guns,  ammunition,  disabled  artil- 
lery, baggage  wagons,  &c.  &c.  We  recaptured  a 
number  of  the  s-ick  and  wounded  of  the  Regiment, 
who  had  been  captured  on  the  6th.  This  ended 
the  fighting  at  Shiloh. 

Jesse  Nelson,  our  drummer-boy,  who  was  but  a 
stripling  youth,  when  the  battle  began  threw  down 
his  drum  and  stepped  into  the  ranks,  with  a  rifle. 
He  was  shot  through  the  head  by  a  musket-ball, 
early  in  the  engagement,  while  on  his  knees,  in  the 
act  of  firing. 

The  first  verse  of  the  poem,  published  shortly 
after  the  battle,  entitled  "The  Drummer- Boy  of 
Shiloh,"  is  very  appropriate  : 

"  On  Shiloh's  dark  and  bloody  ground 
The  dead  and  wounded  lay ; 
Among  them  was  a  drummer-boy, 
Who  beat  the  drum  that  day.  " 

The  Regiment  lost  twenty  killed,  ninety  wound- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  29 

ed,  and  two  taken  prisoners.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  casualties  among  the  officers  : 

Killed:  Capt.  Warner,  of  Co.  B.  Mortally 
wounded :  Capt.  Bond,  Co.  I.  Wounded :  Col. 
Sullivan,  Lieut.  Posegate,  Co.  A,  Lieuts.  Lindsey 
and  Plyley,  Co.  B;  and  Surgeon  Carey,  taken  pris- 
oner, while  taking  care  of  the  wounded. 

The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  the  Cin- 
cinnati Times  and  Gazette,  giving  an  account  of 
the  part  taken  by  the  48th  Ohio  in  the  Battle  of 
Shiloh  : 

Cincinnati  Daily  Times,  April  10,  1862. 

"Pittsburg  Landing,  April  7,  1862. 
*  *  *  *  "  In  regard  to  those  troops  raised 
in  our  vicinity,  I  must  say  that  all  acquitted  them- 
selves most  valiantly.  The  48th,  under  Col.  Sul- 
livan, was  among  the  very  first  whose  camp  was 
invaded,  and  even  after  the  Regiments  on  either- 
side  had  fallen  back,  they  retired  in  good  order, 
fighting  every  step  of  the  way,  to  the  line  of  the 
Second  Division.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
this  is  the  first  time  they  were  ever  brought  into 
battle,  and  from  the  suddenness  of  the  attack  your 
readers  may  judge  that  the  introduction  was  not 
one  calculated  to  steady  the  nerves  of  raw  troops. 
At  one  time  during  the  contest,  it  was  rumored 
that  every  officer  of  the  48th  was  killed  ;  but  they 
turned  up  in  time  to  gather  their  men  to  the  num- 
ber of  250,  and  after  a  bivouac  upon  the  wet  ground 
last  night,  they  led  them  again  to  the  field  to-day. 


30  HISTORY    OF   THE 

Col.  Sullivan  returns  to-night  with  a  wound  in  his 
left  arm,  but  not  at  all  dangerous,  although  quite 
painful.  He  will  be  all  right  again  in  a  few  days. 
Gen.  Sherman  yesterday  complimented  the  Colo- 
nel, also  Lieut  Col.  Parker,  of  Highland  county, 
Maj.  Wise,  Adjutant  Robt.  McGill,  and  the  men, 
as  a  body,  by  saying  that  even  older  Regiments 
could  not  have  conducted  themselves  more  nobly. 
*     *     *  E.  M.  S." 

Highland  News,  April  24,  1862,  copied  from 
the  Cincinnati  Gazette. 

"It  was  on  Monday,  during  that  terrible  contest, 
that  Col.  Sullivan,  while  bravely  rallying  his  Regi- 
ment, was  wounded  and  borne  from  the  field,  and 
the  brave  and  much-lamented  Capt.  Warner,  of  Co. 
B,  fell  with  a  Minie  ball  through  the  head.  A  bet- 
ter officer  and  more  noble-hearted  man,  we  had 
not  in  the  Regiment.  Lieut.  Col.  Parker  won  the 
entire  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  Regiment,  as 
a  man  of  cool  and  daring  bravery.  At  all  times 
during  the  conflict  be  was  ever  ready  to  cheer  and 
rally  by  his  presence,  and  his  sword  ever  found  in 
the  thickest  of  the  fight.  In  a  word,  the  entire 
Regiment  deserves  the  highest  meed  of  praise. — 
To  this  Gen.  Sherman  has  already  subscribed  by 
saying,  the  48th  and  72d  Ohio  maintained  their 
ground  longer  than  any  other  Regiment  in  his  di- 
vision. 

"  The  Band  boys,  like  true  patriots,  threw  down 
their  instruments,  took  up  guns  and  went  into  the 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  3 1 

fight.  Two  of  their  number,  Wm.  Purdy  and  E. 
Henry,  were  mortally  wounded,  and  died  from  the 
effects  of  their  wounds  a  short  time  after." 

THE    BATTLE    NO    SURPRISE. 

We  had  penetrated  about  225  miles  up  the 
Tennessee  river,  in  the  enemy's  country.  Cor- 
inth, our  objective  point,  was  but  thirty  miles 
distant,  strongly  fortified  and  garrisoned,  by  an 
army  estimated  between  fifty  and  sixty  thou- 
sand men,  under  Gen.  Beauregard.  We  have 
already  shown  that  on  April  3d  our  brigade 
was  sent  out  to  reconnoiter.  We  found  the  ene- 
my in  strong  force,  within  about  five  miles  of  our 
camp,  but  we  were  instructed  not  to  bring  on  an 
engagement.  April  4th,  our  picket-line  was  at- 
tacked by  the  rebel  cavalry,  which  resulted  in  a 
loss  of  a  few  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  on 
each  side.  Saturday,  the  5th,  on  account  of  the 
heavy  picket-firing  another  alarm  was  sounded,  at 
about  5  P  M.,  which  was  caused  by  the  near  ap- 
proach of  the  rebel  cavlary. 

That  night,  Col.  Sullivan  instructed  the  Sergeant 
of  the  camp-guard  to  notify  him,  at  once,  if  an 
alarm  was  given  during  the  night.  The  following 
morning,  Sunday,  April  6th,  the  reveille  was  sound- 
ed as  usual  at  daylight,  and  roll-call  followed. — 
While  at  breakfast  the  long-roll  beat,  and  we  im- 
mediately formed  on  our  color  line.  While  in  line, 
those  who  had  not  finished  their  breakfast,  return- 
ed to  their  tents  and  finished  their  meals.     We  had 


32  HISTORY    OF    THE 

been  in  line  half  an  hour,  when  we  were  ordered 
to  the  front,  to  support  the  pickets,  and  had  pro- 
ceeded but  a  short  distance,  when  we  saw  the  ene- 
my advancing  in  force.  We  returned  to  our  brig- 
ade, reformed  our  line,  and  the  battle  commenced. 

Our  forces,  the  first  day,  numbered  32,000,  and 
and  the  enemy  45,000  men.  Both  sides  received 
reinforcements  for  the  second  day's  battle.  The 
rebels  were  armed,  principally,  with  U.  S.  muskets, 
and  their  ammunition  consisted  of  one  ball  and 
three  buck-shot. 

Previous  to  the  battle,  Gen.  Beauregard  had  is- 
sued an  order  to  his  troops,  a  copy  of  which  was 
found  in  one  of  our  tents,  the  first  section  of  which 
reads  as  follows  : 

"  Field  and  company  officers  are  specially  en- 
joined to  instruct  their  men  to  fire  at  the  feet  of  the 
enemy!  They  will  thus  avoid  over-shooting,  and 
besides,  wounded  men  give  more  trouble  to  our  ad- 
versary than  his  dead,  as  they  have  to  be  taken 
from  the  field." 

The  loss  in  our  Division  was  318  killed,  1275 
wounded  and  440  missing.  Our  entire  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded,  according  to  officiar  reports, 
was  10,600  ;  and  Beauregard  places  his  at  10,699  ; 
besides  the  prisoners  taken  on  both  sides,  our 
loss  in  prisoners  being  the  greatest.  The  total 
loss  of  both  armies  is  estimated  at  25,000  men, 
which  was  a  frightful  loss  in  proportion  to  the 
number  engaged.  This  battle  exploded  the  South- 
ern  assertion    that  one  Southerner   was   a   match 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  33 

for  five  Northern  soldiers,  and  also  taught  the 
Western  army,  that  all  the  advantages  gained 
over  their  adversary  would  have  to  be  won  by  des- 
perate, hard  fighting. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  official  re- 
port of  Gen.  Sherman,  of  the  Battle  of  Shiloh  : 
[From  Gen.  Sherman's  Memoirs.] 

"Headquarters  Fifth  Division,     } 
Camp  Shiloh,  April  ioth,  1862.  j 
"  Cap/.  J.  A.Rawlins,  Ass't.  Adj't.  Gen. to  Gen.  Grant: 

"  Sir —  *  *  *  On  Sunday  morning  early, 
the  6th  inst.,  the  enemy  drove  our  advance-guard 
back  on  the  main  body,  when  I  ordered  under 
arms  all  my  Division. 

"  Shortly  after  7  A.  M.,  with  my  entire  staff,  I 
rode  along  a  portion  of  our  front,  and  when  in  the 
open  field,  before  Appier's  regiment,  the  enemy's 
pickets  opened  a  brisk  fire  upon  my  party,  killing 
my  orderly.     *     *     * 

"About  8  A.  M.  I  saw  the  glistening  bayonets  of 
heavy  masses  of  infantry  to  our  left  front,  in  the 
woods  beyond  the  small  stream  alluded  to,  and  be- 
came satisfied  for  the  first  time  that  the  enemy  de- 
signed a  determined  attack  on  our  whole  camp. — 
All  of  the  regiments  of  my  Division  were  then  in 
line  of  battle  at  their  proper  posts.     *     *     * 

"  The  battle  opened  by  the  enemy's  battery,  in 
the  woods  to  our  front,  throwing  shells  into 
our  camp.  Taylor's  and  Waterhouse's  batteries 
promptly  responded,  and  I  then  observed  heavy 
battalions  of  infantry  passing  obliquely  to  the  left, 


34  HISTORY   OF    THE 

across  the  open  field  in  Appier's  front ;  also  other 
columns  directly  upon  my  Division.  Our  infantry 
and  artillery  opened  along  the  whole  line,  and  the 
battle  became  general.     *     *     * 

"Although  our  left  was  thus  turned,  and  the  ene- 
my was  pressing  our  whole  line,  I  deemed  Shiloh 
so  important  that  I  remained  by  it,  and  renewed 
my  orders  to  Colonels  McDowell  and  Buckland  to 
hold  their  ground,  and  we  did  hold  these  positions 
until  about  10  A.  M.,  when  the  enemy  had  got  his 
artillery  to  the  rear  of  our  left  flank  and  some 
change  became  necessary.  Two  regiments  of  Hil- 
debrand's  brigade  —  Appier's  and  Mungen's — had 
already  disappeared  to  the  rear,  and  Hildebrand's 
own  regiment  was  in  disorder.  I  therefore  gave 
orders  for  Taylor's  battery,  still  at  Shiloh,  to  fall 
back  as  far  as  the  Purdy  and  Hamburg  road,  and 
for  McDowell  and  Buckland  to  adopt  that  road  as 
their  new  line.  I  rode  across  the  angle  and  met 
Behr's  battery  at  the  cross-road,  and  ordered  it 
immediately  to  come  into  battery  action  right. — ■ 
Capt.  Behr  gave  the  order,  but  was  almost  imme- 
diately shot  from  his  horse,  when  drivers  and  gun- 
ners fled  in  disorder,  carrying  off  the  caissons,  and 
abandoning  five  out  of  six  guns,  without  firing  a 
shot.  The  enemy  pressed  on,  gaining  this  battery, 
and  we  were  again  forced  to  choose  a  new  line  of 
defense.  Hildebrand's  brigade  had  substantially 
disappeared  from  the  field,  though  he  himself 
bravely  remained.  McDowell's  and  Buckland's 
brigade  maintained  their  organization,  and  were 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  35 

conducted  by  my  aids,  so  as  to  join  on  Gen.  Mc- 
Clernand's   right,   thus   abandoning   my   original 
camps  and  line.     This  was  about  10^  A.  M.,  at 
which  time  the  enemy  had  made  a  furious  attack 
on  Gen.  McClernand's  whole  front.     He  struggled 
most   determinedly,   but   finding   him   pressed,  I 
moved  McDowell's  brigade  against  the  left  flank 
of  the  enemy,  forced  him  back  some  distance,  and 
then  directed  the  men  to  avail  themselves  of  every 
cover,  trees,  fallen  timber,  and  a  wooded  valley  to 
our  right.     We  held  this  position   for   four   long 
hours,  sometimes  gaining  and  at  other  times  losing 
ground,  Gen.   McClernand   and  myself  acting  in 
perfect  concert,  and  struggling  to  maintain  this  line. 
"While  we  were  so  hard  pressed,  two  Iowa  reg- 
iments  approached   our  rear,   but  could  not  be 
brought  up  to  the  severe  fire  that  was  raging  in 
our  front,  and  Gen.  Grant,  who  visited  us  on  that 
ground,  will  remember  our  situation  about  3  P.  M. ; 
but  about  4  P.  M.  it  was  evident  that  Hurlburt's 
line  had  been  driven  back  to  the  river,  and  know- 
ing that  Gen.  Lew  Wallace  was  coming  with  rein- 
forcements from  Crump's  Landing,  Gen.  McCler- 
nand and  I,  on  consultation,  selected  a  new  line  of 
defense,  with  its  right  covering  a  bridge  by  which 
Gen.  Wallace  had  to  approach.     We  fell  back  as 
well  as  we  could,  gathering  in  addition  to  our  own 
such  scattered  forces  as  we  could  find,  and  formed 
a  new  line.     *     *     *     I  had  a  clear  field,  about 
two  hundred  yards  wide,  in   my   immediate  front, 
and  contented  myself  with  keeping  the  enemy's  in- 


36  HISTORY    OF   THE 

fantry  at  that  distance  during  the  rest  of  the  day. 

"  In  this  position  we  rested  for  the  night.  My 
command  had  become  decidedly  of  a  mixed  char- 
acter. Buckland's  brigade  was  the  only  one  that 
retained  its  organization.  Col.  Hildebrand  was 
personally  there,  but  his  brigade  was  not.  Col. 
McDowell  had  been  severely  injured  by  a  fall 
from  his  horse,  and  had  gone  to  the  river,  and  the 
three  regiments  of  his  brigade  were  not  in  line. 
*  *  *  Generals  Grant  and  Buell  visited  me  in 
our  bivouac  that  evening,  and  from  them  I  learned 
the  situation  of  officers  on  other  parts  of  the  field. 
Gen.  Wallace  arrived  from  Crump's  Landing  short- 
ly after  dark,  and  formed  his  line  to  my  right  rear. 
It  rained  hard  during  the  night,  but  our  men  were 
in  good  spirits,  lay  on  their  arms,  being  satisfied 
with  such  bread  and  meat  as  could  be  gathered 
at  the  neighboring  camps,  and  determined  to  re- 
deem on  Monday  the  losses  on  Sunday      *     *     * 

"At  daylight  on  Monday  I  received  General 
Grant's  order  to  advance  and  recapture  our  origi- 
nal camps.  I  dispatched  several  members  of  my 
staff  to  bring  up  all  the  men  they  could  find,  and 
reoccupied  the  ground  to  the  extreme  right  of 
Gen.  McClernand's,  where  we  attracted  the  fire  of 
a  battery  located  near  Col.  McDowell's  former 
headquarters.  Here  I  remained,  patiently  waiting 
for  the  sound  of  Gen.  Buell's  advance  upon  the 
main  Corinth  road.  About  10  A.  M.  the  heavy 
firing  in  that  direction  and  its  steady  approach 
satisfied  me,  and  Gen.  Wallace  being  on  our  right 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  37 

flank,  with  his  well-conducted  Division,  I  led  the 
head  of  my  column  to  Gen.  McClernand's  right, 
formed  line  of  battle,  facing  south,  with  Buckland's 
brigade  directly  across  the  ridge,  and  Stuart's  brig- 
ade on  its  right  in  the  woods,  and  thus  advanced, 
steadily  and  slowly,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  musket- 
ry and  artillery.  Taylor  had  just  got  to  me  from 
the  rear,  where  he  had  gone  for  ammunition,  and 
brought  up  three  guns,  which  I  ordered  into  po- 
sition, to  advance  by  hand-firing.  Under  cover 
of  their  fire,  we  advanced  till  we  reached  the  point 
where  the  Corinth  road  crosses  the  line  of  Mc- 
Clernand's camp,  and  here  I  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  well-ordered  and  compact  columns  of  Gen. 
BuelFs  Kentucky  forces,  whose  soldierly  move- 
ments at  once  gave  confidence  to  our  newer  and 
less  disciplined  men. 

"This  was  about  2  P.  M.  The  enemy  had  one 
battery  close  by  Shiloh,  and  another  near  the 
Hamburg  road,  both  pouring  grape  and  canister 
upon  any  column  of  troops  that  advanced  upon 
the  green  point  of  water-oaks.  Willich's  regiment 
had  been  repulsed,  but  a  whole  brigade  of  Mc- 
Cook's  Division  advanced,  beautifully  deployed, 
and  entered  this  dreaded  wood.  I  ordered  my 
second  brigade  to  form  on  its  right,  and  my  fourth 
brigade,  Col.  Buckland,*  on  its  right,  all  to  ad- 
vance abreast  with  this  Kentucky  brigade,  before 
mentioned,  which  I  afterward  found  to  be  Rous- 
seau's brigade  of  McCook's  Division.     I  gave  per- 

*To  which  the  48th  Ohio  was  attached. 


38  HISTORY   OF   THE 

sonal  direction  to  the  twenty-four  pounder  guns, 
whose  well-directed  fire  first  silenced  the  enemy's 
guns  to  the  left,  and  afterward  at  the  Shiloh  meet- 
ing-house. Rousseau's  brigade  moved  in  splendid 
order  steadily  to  the  front,  sweeping  everything 
before  it,  and  at  4  P.  M.  we  stood  upon  the 
ground  of  our  original  front  line,  and  the  enemy 
was  in  full  retreat.  I  directed  my  several  brigades 
to  resume  at  once  their  original  camps.     *     *     * 

"My  Division  was  made  up  of  regiments  per- 
fectly new,  nearly  all  having  received  their  mus- 
kets for  the  first  time  at  Paducah.  None  of  them 
had  ever  been  under  fire,  or  beheld  heavy  columns 
of  an  enemy  bearing  down  on  them,  as  they  did 
on  last  Sunday. 

*  *  *  "  Col.  Buckland  managed  his  brigade 
well.  I  commend  him  to  your  notice  as  a  cool, 
intelligent  and  judicious  gentleman,  needing  only 
confidence  and  experience  to  make  a  good  com- 
mander. His  subordinates,  Colonels  Sullivan 
(48th  Ohio)  and  Cockerill,  (70th  Ohio),  behaved 
with  great  gallantry ;  the  former  receiving  a  wound 
on  Sunday,  and  yet  commanding  and  holding  his 
regiment  well  in  hand  all  day  on  Monday,  until 
his  right  arm  was  broken  by  a  shot.  Col.  Cocker- 
ill  held  a  larger  proportion  of  his  men  than  any 
Colonel  in  my  division,  and  was  with  me  from  first 
to  last.     *     *     * 

"I  am,  with  much  respect,  your  obedient  ser- 
vant, W.  T.  SHERMAN, 

"  Brig.  Gen.  Com'dg  Fifth  Division." 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  39 

A  week  after  the  battle  the  Sanitary  Commission 
began  to  arrive,  with  supplies  for  the  sick  and 
wounded.  With  them  came  Dr.  S.  J.  Spees,  of 
Lynchburg,  Ohio.  Our  Surgeon,  Dr.  Cary,  had 
been  taken  prisoner,  leaving  all  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  wounded  on  Assistant  Surgeon,  A.  A. 
Johnson.  The  sick  list  increased  very  rapidly, 
caused  by  the  fatigue  and  exposure  of  the  three 
days'  battle,  together  with  the  heavy  rains  and 
damp  weather.  Over  one-half  of  the  Regiment 
was  unable  for  duty. 

In  the  mean  time,  Gen.  Halleck  had  arrived  at 
Pittsburg  Landing,  and  assumed  command  of  the 
combined  armies  of  Grant  and  Buell,  leaving  Gen. 
Grant  second  in  command.  He  issued  a  general 
order  for  every  regiment  to  attend  battalion  drill 
in  the  morning,  and  brigade  and  division  drill  in 
the  afternoon.  From  these  drills  none  were  ex- 
cused, unless  unable  to  sit  up.  Those  unable  to 
march  were  hauled  out  to  the  drill-ground  in  ambu- 
lances, where  they  could  watch  the  maneuvers. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  a  general  order  was  issued 
to  discharge  all  regimental  bands,  excepting  one  to 
each  brigade.  When  the  battle  of  Shiloh  com- 
menced, our  band  discarded  their  fine  instruments, 
armed  themselves,  and  went  into  the  fight  with  the 
Regiment.  The  result  was,  they  lost  their  instru- 
ments, and  had  two  of  their  number  killed.  Hav- 
ing no  instruments,  they  were  one  of  the  first 
bands  discharged,  much  to  the  regret  of  the  whole 
Regiment. 


4°  HISTORY    OF   THE 

April  1 6th,  all  the  sick  and  wounded  of  the  Reg- 
iment were  sent  North.  The  army  was  now  thor- 
oughly drilled  in  division,  brigade  and  battalion 
drill,  as  well  as  picket-duty  and  the  art  of  con- 
structing field  defenses,  which  was  a  great  advan- 
tage to  us  in  the  advance  on  Corinth,  as  Gen.  Hal- 
leck  had  decided  to  approach  by  regular  siege, 
that  was  necessarily  slow  and  attended  with  a 
great  deal  of  labor.  The  48th  Ohio  bore  its  full 
share  of  duty  in  picketing,  constructing  earth- 
works, and  reconnoitering. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  4 1 


CHAPTER  VI. 

On  the  Eoad  to  Corinth — Order  to  March  —  Joke  on 
Sergeant  Eeed — First  Earthworks  —  Second  Advance 
—  Camp  Number  Six  —  Engagement  at  the  Eussell 
House — Talk  with  the  Eebel  Fickets — -Separation  of 
Mother  and  Child  —  Last  Line  of  Earthworks  —  Evac- 
uation of  Corinth  —  The  Pursuit  and  Eeturn  —  Com- 
parison of  the  Two  Armies. 

||i||jPRIL  29th,  we  received  marching  orders,  and 
lllsll  moved  with  the  Division  towards  Corinth, 
Miss.,  leaving  a  very  large  number  of  the  Regi- 
ment sick  in  the  tents,  who  were  sent  home  a  few 
days  later  by  the  Sanitary  Commission. 

We  marched  about  six  miles  and  camped. — 
May  1st,  the  following  order  was  issued  to  the 
Army  :  "  The  troops  will  at  once  be  prepared  for 
a  rapid  march,  and  each  soldier  will  carry  three 
days'  rations  in  his  haversack,  and  the  wagons 
four  days'  rations  additional.  The  baggage  will 
be  limited  to  two  tents  for  each  company  for  all 
purposes,  the  allowance  of  axes  and  spades,  and 
such  cooking  utensils  as  are  absolutely  necessary. 
The  soldiers  will  carry  their  blankets  only,  leaving 
their  knapsacks  in  camp.  One  hundred  and  forty 
rounds  of  ammunition  will  be  taken  along — forty 
rounds  in  the  cartridge  boxes,  and  one  hundred 
rounds  in  the  wagons  ;  and  on  the  eve  of  a  battle 


42  HISTORY   OP  THE 

forty  additional  rounds  will  be  issued  each  man,  to 
be  carried  on  his  person." 

During  our  stay  here  an  amusing  incident  oc- 
curred. Serg't.  Reed,  of  Co.  B,  received  informa- 
tion from  some  wag  in  the  Regiment  that  he  had 
been  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant.  He  imme- 
diately procured  his  shoulder-straps,  and  proposed 
to  treat  the  Company  in  honor  of  the  event,  but  on 
going  to  the  sutler,  he  found  that  he  had  sold  every- 
thing except  some  stale  butter.  In  the  absence 
of  something  better,  he  purchased  fifteen  or  twenty 
pounds  and  distributed  it  to  his  Company.  After 
he  had  aired  his  straps,  to  the  delight  of  the  Reg- 
iment, for  several  days,  the  joke  leaked  out,  and 
none  laughed  more  than  he  when  he  discovered 
the  sell. 

May  3d,  we  received  two  months'  pay,  being  the 
second  payment  in  the  service.  On  the  4th,  we 
received  four  days'  rations.  The  crackers  proved 
to  be  mouldy  and  worm-eaten.  On  the  5th  we 
were  ordered  to  advance,  which  we  did  with  great 
caution,  and  camped  toward  evening.  In  the 
mean  time  a  heavy  rain  set  in  and  continued, 
without  intermission,  for  fifteen  hours.  After  we 
we  had  selected  our  camp  and  made  shelters  to 
protect  us  from  the  rain,  orders  were  received  to 
send  a  strong  force  of  the  Regiment  on  picket, 
which  was  not  agreeable  news  in  the  face  of  a 
driving  rain.  Through  some  misunderstanding 
we  were  taken  to  the  wrong  picket-line,  and  were 
afterward  transferred  to  the  reserve,  in  an   open 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  43 

field,  near  a  fence,  which  we  used  in  making  shel- 
ter. On  returning  to  camp  the  following  day, 
we  learned  that  the  high  waters  had  swept  away 
the  bridges  between  us  and  the  Landing;  also, 
that  the  four  days'  damaged  rations,  issued  on  the 
4th,  would  have  to  last  us  eight  days.  We  cut 
the  timber  in  our  front,  and  constructed  earth- 
works, but  had  scarcely  completed  them  when  we 
advanced  one  mile  on  the  following  day,  and 
built  a  new  line  of  defenses.  Our  arms  were  al- 
ways stacked  convenient  while  we  were  at  work. 
Every  morning  at  four  o'clock  we  were  in  our 
fortifications,  prepared  for  an  attack,  and  re- 
mained there  for  two  hours. 

Capt.  Frazee,  having  recovered  from  his  sick- 
ness, returned  for  duty  and  took  command  of  the 
Regiment.  May  12th  we  occupied  Camp  Number 
Five,  seven  miles  from  Corinth.  We  spent  every 
night  in  our  rifle-pits,  prepared  for  a  night  attack. 
The  alarms  and  long-rolls  were  frequent,  but  did 
not  lead  to  any  general  engagement.  May  13th 
we  advanced  two  miles  and  established  a  new  line 
of  defenses  at  Camp  Number  Six.  May  17th  we 
received  orders  to  be  ready  for  a  reconnoisance 
in  force  with  the  72d  and  54th  Ohio  and  8th 
Missouri.  We  had  proceeded  but  a  short  dis- 
tance when  the  54th  Ohio,  on  our  left,  became 
hotly  engaged. 

The  rebels  were  found  in  strong  force  at  the 
Russell  House.  With  the  aid  of  artillery  they 
were  dislodged,  and  we  drove  them  several  miles. 


44  HISTORY   OF   THE 

At  dark  we  fell  back  a  short  distance,  and  biv- 
ouacked for  the  night.  We  had  taken  no  rations, 
but  they  were  sent  to  us  the  next  morning ;  and 
at  noon  we  were  back  in  camp  again. 

Our  works  here  were  very  formidable.  There 
were  several  batteries  of  heavy  and  light  artillery 
in  position.  The  53d  Ohio  was  added  to  our 
brigade,  which  was  now  commanded  by  Gen.  J.  W. 
Denver,  and  occupied  the  right  of  Gen.  Sherman's 
Division. 

May  20th,  we  made  another  advance,  and  es- 
tablished a  new  line  a  considerable  distance  to  the 
right,  designated  as  Camp  Number  Seven,  where, 
with  our  usual  promptness,  we  were  soon  in  posi- 
tion behind  our  new  works. 

May  26th,  while  on  picket  near  the  Mobile  & 
Ohio  Railroad,  we  discovered  the  rebel  pickets  on 
the  opposite  side.  Quite  a  number  of  us  advanced 
to  within  speaking  distance,  keeping  well  protect- 
ed behind  the  trees  ;  we  then  opened  fire  on  them, 
which  they  returned,  with  the  remark  that  we  were 
firing  too  high.  It  was  kept  up  until  toward  eve- 
ning, when  we  proposed  to  them  to  quit  firing  dur- 
ing the  night,  to  which  they  consented.  We  kept 
a  sharp  look-out,  but  everything  was  quiet  until 
daylight,  when  we  heard  a  pack  of  hounds  on  the 
trail  of  a  deer.  It  was  coming  at  full  speed  toward 
our  lines.  As  soon  as  it  came  in  sight,  D.  Edginton 
fired,  killing  it  instantly.  That  day  we  had  veni- 
son for  dinner.  Soon  after,  a  rebel  picket  inquired 
whether  we  had  a  daily  paper.     One  of  our  men 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  45 

had  a  Cincinnati  Commercial  of  May  20,  '62.  It 
was  proposed  that  they  could  have  the  paper  by 
coming  after  it.  They  met  us  on  the  railroad, 
leaving  all  arms  and  ammunition  behind.  Quite 
an  interesting  conversation  passed  between  us  ; 
among  other  things,  we  agreed  to  have  no  more 
picket  -  firing  in  future  —  which  agreement  was 
sacredly  kept  on  our  end  of  the  line.  They  stated 
that  they  had  plenty  to  eat,  and  received  whisky 
and  coffee  twice  a  week  ;  that  they  were  fighting 
for  their  rights  and  liberties  ;  that  the  Union  was 
"played  out,"  and  that  Gen.  Beauregard  was  in 
command,  and  Gen.  Bragg  second  in  command, 
at  Corinth,  which  was  four  and  one-half  miles 
from  our  camp  ;  that  they  were  ready  for  us,  and 
although  the  prospects  looked  gloomy,  they  were 
the  boys  to  fight  it  out.  They  also  asked  the  very 
impertinent  question,  whether  we  did  not  think 
that  they  were  right  and  we  wrong  in  regard  to  the 
war  ?  The  discussion  was  getting  quite  warm, 
when  by  mutual  consent  we  changed  the  subject. 
After  a  half-hour's  conversation  we  separated  and 
returned  to  our  picket  lines.  They  were  in  plain 
view  frequently  during  the  day,  but  we  did  not 
molest  them. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Corinth,  a  citizen  related 
to  us  that  he  was  in  Corinth  and  heard  the  rebel 
pickets  telling  of  their  adventure  on  the  picket- 
line,  the  day  after  it  took  place.  He  said  it  was 
spoken  of  a  great  deal  in  the  army,  and  the  pick- 
ets were  looked  upon  as  the  heroes  of  the  day.    In 


46  HISTORY    OF   THE 

the  evening   we  were  relieved   and   returned  to 
camp. 

As  we  neared  Corinth,  the  supply  of  water  for 
the  army  became  a  problem.  The  water  for  man 
and  beast  was  taken  from  the  same  stagnant  pools 
in  the  almost  dried-up  small  streams.  The  enemy, 
knowing  our  condition,  fought  desperately  wher- 
ever a  pond  of  any  size  was  found. 

During  one  of  our  advance  movements,  an  in- 
teresting incident  occurred.  Lieut.  Posegate,  in 
command  of  Co.  A,  was  sent  forward  as  skirmish- 
ers. They  had  driven  the  rebels  before  them,  and 
occupied  a  position  between  two  farm-houses.  A 
woman  left  her  child  in  the  house  alone,  while  she 
went  on  an  errand  to  a  neighbor's  house,  situated 
between  her  home  and  our  lines.  During  her  brief 
absence  our  army  had  advanced,  leaving  her  in 
our  lines,  and  her  dwelling  and  child  half-way  be- 
tween the  two  contending  armies,  with  every  indi- 
cation of  a  battle  at  hand.  The  woman  was  al- 
most frantic  for  the  safety  of  her  child.  She  had 
been  led  to  believe  that  the  Yankees  murdered  all 
that  came  in  their  way.  But  through  the  kindness 
of  Lieut.  Posegate  she  reached  her  home  in  safety, 
and  after  thanking  him  for  his  services,  she  stated 
that  no  earthly  consideration,  except  the  thoughts 
of  her  child,  would  have  induced  her  to  pass  be- 
tween two  armies  facing  each  other,  prepared  for 
batde  ;  and  if  her  husband,  who  was  in  the  South- 
ern Army  at  Corinth,  knew  how  kindly  she  had  been 
treated  by  the  Union  soldiers,  he  wouldn't  remain 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  47 

in  arms  against  us  another  day  !  No  doubt  the 
woman  and  child  were  removed  to  a  place  of  safe- 
ty, as  they  were  never  seen  again. 

On  the  29th  we  moved  forward  with  the  army, 
driving  the  rebel  out-posts  before  us  for  about  a 
mile,  and  establishing  a  new  line  in  a  strip  of  tim- 
ber on  a  slight  elevation,  from  which  their  batter- 
ies attempted  to  dislodge  us,  but  did  not  succeed. 
After  the  troops  were  all  in  position,  our  Regiment 
was  ordered  to  support  the  4th  Indiana  Battery, 
which  kept  up  a  heavy  cannonading  until  dark, 
when  their  firing  ceased  and  work  on  the  earth- 
works commenced.  The  night  being  very  dark, 
and  no  lights  allowed,  the  line  for  the  rifle  pits  was 
made  by  laying  down  rails  six  feet  apart,  and 
throwing  out  the  ground  between  them.  Our  task 
was  completed  at  midnight,  when  we  lay  upon  our 
arms  as  usual,  "  to  sleep,  perchance  to  dream."  A 
light  breeze  was  blowing  from  the  south,  and  dur- 
ing the  night  we  could  plainly  hear  the  movement 
of  trains  on  the  Mobile  &  Ohio  Railroad,  bands 
playing,  and  see  the  rockets  ascending  in  the  air, 
signaling  their  out-posts,  which  clearly  indicated 
that  they  were  evacuating. 

While  at  breakfast  the  following  morning,  May 
30th,  we  heard  heavy  explosions  in  the  direction 
of  Corinth.  The  rebels  were  evidently  destroying 
what  could  not  be  carried  away.  Soon  the  word 
came,  "  Corinth  is  evacuated." 

The  48th  and  72d  Ohio  received  orders  to  ad- 
vance   immediately.     After   passing   the    pickets, 


48  HISTORY    OF   THE 

Companies  A  and  B  were  sent  forward  as  skir- 
mishers, leaving  Co.  C  at  the  right  of  the  Regi- 
ment. After  passing  through  a  narrow  strip  of 
timber,  we  reached  an  open  country,  in  which  the 
fortifications  of  Corinth  were  located.  When  with- 
in fifty  yards  of  their  works  we  halted  and  gave 
three  rousing  cheers  for  the  "old  flag;"  after 
which  we  advanced  over  the  works  on  double- 
quick  through  dust  and  heat  for  about  two  miles, 
when  we  halted  in  sight  of  Corinth.  As  soon  as 
the  rest  of  our  brigade  arrived,  we  advanced 
again,  the  48th  and  7 2d  taking  the  lead.  We 
passed  through  Corinth,  which  we  found  smolder- 
ing in  ruins,  and  halted  a  short  distance  beyond 
the  town,  near  the  forks  of  a  road,  where  the  reb- 
els had  gone  to  the  trouble  to  put  up  a  large  finger- 
board, with  the  inscription,  "  Take  the  road 
to  the  left."  The  enemy  being  out  of  our 
reach,  and  further  pursuit  by  the  infantry  useless, 
we  returned  to  our  camp  in  the  evening.  The 
result  of  the  capture  of  Corinth  was  the  fall  of 
Memphis  and  Fort  Pillow.  By  getting  in  their  rear 
it  made  both  places  untenable,  and  they  fell  an 
easy  prey  to  the  gunboat  squadron. 

The  following  description  of  the  evacuation  of 
Corinth  is  from  a  Southern  history,  "The  War  in 
the  West :" 

"  Halleck  dug  and  dug,  and  pulled  his  immense 
army  forward  slowly  and  painfully  as  a  wounded 
snake.  Steel  met  steel  —  gun  answered  gun  in 
the   pines   around   Hamburg,   and   the   glitter   of 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  49 

bright  bayonets,  away  over  to  the  left,  told  a  busy 
story  of  Bragg's  adventure  and  unceasing  activity. 
But  an  enemy  invaded  the  heart  of  Beauregard's 
camp,  more  terrible,  more  deadly,  than  Halleck's 
vast  host,  if  it  had  been  doubled.  It  was  the  sol- 
dier's enemy  —  disease.  The  sultry  sun,  the  putrid 
water,  the  unwholesome  food,  the  low,  swampy 
country,  the  unceasing  duty,  the  long,  eternal  bat- 
tle, sapped  the  elan  of  the  young  volunteers,  and 
filled  the  hospitals  and  the  graveyards  with  the 
best  blood  of  the  South. 

"Train  after  train  carried  the  miserable  suffer- 
ers southward,  but  train  after  train  was  still  in  de- 
mand, and  the  epidemic  increased  and  the  mortal- 
ity was  fearful.  One  hot,  weary  afternoon,  Cap- 
tain   received  orders  to  call  in  all  his  out- 
lying detachments,  prepare  three  days  rations,  and 
march  directly  on  Corinth.  A  battle  was  deemed 
inevitable,  for  latterly  the  skirmishes  had  been  un- 
usually severe,  and  ever  and  anon  the  hoarse  voice 
of  the  heavy  Parrots  could  be  heard,  loud  above 
the  noisy  and  more  rapid  discharges  of  the  field 
artillery.  Corinth  was  reached  at  nightfall,  and 
the  command  slept  on  their  arms  just  northward 
of  the  town,  the  sentinels  halting  in  their  mechan- 
ical beats  long  enough  to  catch  the  echoes  of  Hal- 
leck's distant  signal-guns,  and  to  watch  the  out- 
post cavalry  rockets  going  up  among  the  clouds. 

"Before  daylight  the  next  morning,  avast,  com- 
pact column,  sixteen  deep,  came  from  Bragg's 
line  on  the  left,  and  marched  away  in  silence  to- 


50  HISTORY    OF    THE 

ward  Tupelo,  followed  by  artillery,  wagons,  cav- 
alry, and  a  sickly  train  of  pale  faces  and  emaciated 
bodies.  It  was  Beauregard,  evacuating  Corinth 
before  the  pestilence,  but  not  from  fear  of  Halleck. 
The  living  tide  surged  past,  all  the  long,  hot  day, 
and  every  step  was  proud,  and  every  gun  glistened 
brightly  in  the  sun-light.  A  death-like  silence 
pervaded  the  deserted  streets ;  the  usual  cannon- 
ading on  the  left  had  ceased.  Van  Dorn's  stub- 
born pickets  no  longer  plied  their  vengeful  rifles, 
and  the  patrolling  cavalry  hushed  the  clank  of  sa- 
bers and  the  shrill  neighing  of  their  lonesome 
steeds.  The  last  regiment  who  left  the  grave-girdled 
town,  marched  in  skirmish  order,  with  their  load- 
ed guns  and  bayonets  fixed." 

This  shows  that  Gen.  Beauregard's  army  was  in 
a  fearful  condition,  and  all  the  hardships  and  pri- 
vations of  the  siege  that  they  endured  would  apply 
to  our  own  army  in  a  still  greater  degree,  for  we 
were  on  the  offensive  and  not  acclimated,  while 
they  were  on  the  defensive,  fighting  within  sight 
of  their  own  homes.  But  the  condition  of  our 
army  was  never  better  during  the  siege. 

Of  the  splendid  condition  of  our  army  when  we 
entered  Corinth,  Gen.  Sherman  says  : — "I  esteem 
it  (the  siege  of  Corinth )  a  magnificent  drill,  as  it 
served  for  the  instruction  of  our  men  in  guard  and 
picket  duty,  and  in  habituating  them  to  out-door 
life,  and  by  the  time  we  had  reached  Corinth,  I 
believe  that  army  was  the  best  then  on  this  conti- 
nent, and  could  have  gone  where  it  pleased." 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  5 1 


CHAPTER  VII. 

On  to  Memphis  —  Visit  of  Thomas  Peale,  Esq.  of  Lynch- 
burg—  Return  of  Lieut.  Col.  Parker — La-Grange  — 
Moscow  —  Lafayette  —  Newton  and  the  Snake  —  Return 
to  Moscow  —  March  to  Holly  Springs  and  Return  — 
Contrabands  —  On  the  March  to  Memphis  —  White 
Station- — Memphis  —  Camp  at  Fort  Pickering  —  Maj. 
Wise  and  Lieut.  Fields  Resign  —  Return  of  Absentees 

—  On  Provost  Guard  —  Cincinnati  Reported   Captured 

—  Trip  to  Randolph  —  Rebel  Cotton  Burners. 

|pE  remained  in  camp  until  June  2d,  when  we 

EMl  took  up  our  line  of  march  to  Memphis,  leav- 
ing behind  Capt.  Frazee,  who  was  sent  home  on 
sick-leave,  which  left  Capt.  Peterson  in  command 
of  the  Regiment.  We  were  delayed  a  short  time 
by  a  heavy  shower.  Passing  through  Corinth,  we 
bivouacked  on  the  road-side  for  the  night. 

Early  the  following  morning,  we  were  ordered 
to  Chewalla  on  double-quick,  a  distance  of  eight 
or  ten  miles.  Why  we  were  ordered  to  that  place 
on  a  run,  with  no  enemy  near,  has  never  been  sat- 
isfactorily explained. 

On  June  9th,  Thomas  Peale,  Esq.,  of  Lynchburg, 
Ohio,  made  us  a  visit,  aud  remained  with  us  on  the 
march  to .  Lafayette,  Tenn.  From  here  he  went 
with  the  supply  train  to  Memphis,  and  from  there 
home.     He  had  quite  an  experience  of  army  life. 


52  HISTORY    OF   THE 

June  9th,  we  resumed  our  march  to  Memphis, 
and  camped  at  Tuscumbia  river  in  the  evening, 
where  Lieut.  Col.  Parker,  who  had  been  sent  home 
on  sick-leave  shortly  after  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  re- 
joined and  took  command  of  the  Regiment.  The 
following  day,  we  repaired  the  bridge,  which  had 
been  destroyed  by  the  enemy.  We  left  June  nth, 
marched  through  the  richest  portion  of  West  Ten- 
nessee, and  arrived  at  LaGrange  June  14th.  We 
left  LaGrange  on  the  16th,  and  arrived  at  Moscow 
in  the  evening.  Our  chief  employment,  during 
our  stay  at  Moscow,  was  to  rebuild  the  railroad 
bridge  over  Wolf  river. 

On  the  2 2d,  we  were  ordered  to  Lafayette,  eight 
miles  below,  on  the  Memphis  &  Charleston  R.  R., 
where  we  arrived  in  the  afternoon.  The  following 
day  a  portion  of  the  Regiment  went  on  picket. — 
During  the  night  quite  an  amusing  incident  occur- 
red on  one  of  the  picket-posts.  Thomas  Newton 
was  startled  by  a  snake  crawling  up  inside  his 
pants.  He  raised  the  alarm  and  danced  a  lively 
jig,  while  his  comrades  assisted  him  to  release  the 
snake,  but  fortunately  he  sustained  no  other  injury 
than  a  big  scare,  which  he  will  never  forget. 

After  we  returned  to  camp  the  following  morn- 
ing, we  learned  that  our  brigade  had  been  ordered 
back  to  Moscow.  This  proved  to  be  the  hottest 
and  sultriest  day  of  the  season,  and  our  march 
back  to  Moscow  will  be  as  long  remembered  by  us 
as  the  one  from  Moscow,  mentioned  in  history,  will 
be   remembered   by   the   French.     The   blinding 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  53 

dust  and  intense  heat  were  terribly  severe  on  both 
man  and  beast.  The  roadside  was  lined  with  sol- 
diers overcome  by  heat,  and  quite  a  number  of 
artillery  horses  dropped  dead  in  their  traces. 

Arriving  at  our  destination,  we  camped  on  the 
banks  of  Wolf  river.  During  our  stay  here  we  had 
a  pleasant  time,  our  duties  being  light  and  the 
bathing  facilities  excellent.  On  the  29th  several 
took  "French  leave,"  taking  the  overland  route  for 
home,  where  they  arrived  safely,  and  in  due  sea- 
son were  safely  returned  to  the  Regiment  again. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  our  Division  was  ordered 
on  an  expedition  to  Holly  Springs,  twenty-two 
miles  south.  We  arrived  in  sight  of  Holly  Springs 
at  noon  on  the  following  day,  while  the  cavalry 
was  having  a  hot  skirmish  with  the  enemy.  Our 
Regiment  and  the  4th  Indiana  Battery  were  or- 
dered forward  in  the  engagement,  but  a  few  well- 
directed  shots  from  the  artillery  started  the  rebels 
in  full  retreat.  We  remained  in  our  position  un- 
til dark,  when  we  fell  back  about  three  miles,  and 
camped  in  the  woods  on  the  road- side.  Here  we 
lay  in  ambush,  awaiting  the  return  of  the  enemy, 
until  July  5th,  but  they  did  not  appear. 

We  started  on  the  expedition  with  only  one 
day's  rations,  and  expected  a  supply  from  Mem- 
phis, by  the  supply-train,  but  the  train  had  been 
attacked  by  the  rebels  and  delayed.  As  foraging 
was  almost  unknown  at  this  stage  of  the  war,  we 
were  compelled  to  subsist  entirely  on  blackberries 
and  apples.     We  soon  stripped  the    orchards   in 


54  HISTORY    OF   THE 

the  vicinity,  of  their  green  fruit,  and  lived  a  few 
days  on  the  refuse  from  a  cavalry  camp. 

On  the  6th  we  started  back  to  Moscow.  We 
marched  until  midnight,  when  we  met  the  supply- 
train.  A  halt  was  ordered,  and  through  the  energy 
of  H.  C.  Stewart,  Quartermaster  Sergeant,  the  ra- 
tions were  soon  distributed  to  the  hungry  soldiers. 
At  day-break  on  the  following  day,  we  were  on  the 
march,  reaching  Moscow  at  noon. 

Up  to  this  time,  the  slaves  were  still  at  work  for 
their  masters,  and  none  were  allowed  to  follow 
the  army.  On  the  Holly  Springs  expedition  the 
Regiment  engaged  several  of  them  as  cooks,  but 
they  had  scarcely  been  initiated  when  an  order 
was  issued  to  exclude  all  slaves  from  camp.  Thus 
ended  our  first  attempt  at  putting  them  to  work 
to  assist  in  putting  down  the  Rebellion.  But 
"De  Year  ob  Jubilo,"  as  the  slaves  called  it, 
was  fast  approaching.  In  less  than  two  months, 
there  was  a  complete  change.  The  slaves  came  into 
camp  in  droves,  and  were  put  to  work  as  cooks, 
teamsters  and  laborers.  At  one  time  nearly  every 
soldier  in  the  Regiment  had  his  private  servant ! 

On  the  18th  of  July,  we  took  up  our  line  of 
march  once  more  for  Memphis,  camping  at  Col- 
lierville  the  first  night,  and  at  White's  Station  the 
second,  where  we  remained  the  succeeding  day — 
the  Sabbath  —  and  being  short  of  rations,  we 
spent  nearly  the  whole  time  in  cooking  green 
corn.  A  field  of  twenty  acres  did  not  quite  supply 
the  demand  for  our  Division. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  55 

The  following  day,  July  21st,  we  resumed  our 
march.  Our  Regiment  guarded  the  wagon-train. 
When  within  a  few  miles  of  the  city,  we  were  or- 
dered forward  on  double-quick,  to  rejoin  our  brig- 
ade, and  make  our  entrance  into  the  city  with  our 
Division.  As  it  was  an  exceeding  hot  day,  and  the 
dust  almost  suffocating,  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  we  succeeded  in  picking  our  way  through  the 
immense  wagon-train  that  obstructed  the  entire 
road.  On  reaching  our  brigade,  we  entered  the 
city  of  Memphis,  with  bands  playing,  colors  flying, 
and  the  troops  cheering.  We  marched  to  the 
south  end  of  the  city,  and  camped  in  a  peach-or- 
chard, in  Fort  Pickering,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river.  It  had  been  nearly  six  months 
since  we  had  left  Ohio,  and  in  that  time  we  had 
been  constantly  on  the  move,  and  had  seen  sol- 
diering in  nearly  all  its  phases,  and  now  we  had 
reached  a  haven  that  promised  us  rest  for  a  short 
season  at  least. 

Memphis  is  a  handsome  city,  built  on  a  high 
bluff,  420  miles  below  St.  Louis.  It  had  a  popula- 
tion of  20,000  before  the  war,  and  was  the  center 
of  a  vast  trade.  Gen.  Jackson's  equestrian  statue 
is  in  a  beautiful  park,  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  but 
the  rebels  had  obliterated  the  inscription,  "  The 
Union  must  and  shall  be  preserved."  Shortly  after 
arriving  here,  Dr.  Boon,  Hospital  Steward,  was  dis- 
charged, and  Jos.  A.  Gravatt  appointed  in  his  place. 

August  1  st,  Col.  Sullivan,  with  a  large  number 
of  officers  and  soldiers,  who  had  been  home  on 


5  6  HISTORY    OF   THE 

sick-leave,  returned  for  duty,  which  made  the  Reg- 
iment look  like  its  former  self  again.  On  the  2d, 
the  Paymaster  arrived,  and  paid  us  two  months 
pay.  It  came  when  it  was  most  needed  and  was 
highly  appreciated. 

Sept.  2d,  Adjutant  McGill  and  Lieut.  Posegate 
were  sent  to  Ohio,  with  a  recruiting  party,  con- 
sisting of  one  sergeant  from  each  company.  The 
day  following,  Major  Wise  resigned. 

On  the  4th,  the  Regiment  was  ordered  on  pro- 
vost-guard duty  in  Memphis,  companies  C,  H  and 
G  being  stationed  at  the  military  prison  in  Irving 
Block.  It  contained  one  hundred  rebel  prisoners 
and  a  number  of  disorderly  Union  soldiers.  Our 
duties  were  very  severe,  as  we  had  to  be  on  guard 
every  alternate  six  hours,  both  day  and  night. 

The  Memphis  Argus,  of  Sept.  7th,  contained  the 
following  :  "Cincinnati,  Ohio,  has  surrendered  to 
Gen.  Kirby  Smith."  This  was  startling  news  to 
our  Regiment.  Out  of  the  ten  companies,  one 
was  raised  in  the  city,  and  seven  within  a  circle 
of  sixty  miles.  Our  only  consolation  was  that  it 
might  turn  out  to  be  a  false  report,  which  fortu- 
nately proved  to  be  true,  as  it  was  contradicted  in 
the  same  paper  a  few  days  later. 

Sept.  8th,  Lieut.  John  Kean  was  discharged  for 
disability.  On  the  nth,  the  rebel  prisoners  were 
sent  to  Vicksburg  for  exchange,  and  we  returned 
to  our  camp  in  Fort  Pickering.  Before  leaving, 
they  were  all  furnished  with  new  rebel  uniforms  by 
their  friends. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  57 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  the  duty  of 
the  Regiment  became  very  laborious.  Large  de- 
tails were  made  daily,  to  cut  down  all  the  timber 
within  one  mile  of  the  fort,  and  to  demolish  all 
buildings  within  a  half  mile,  in  addition  to  regi- 
mental and  brigade  guards.  On  the  20th,  the  Reg- 
iment was  sent  twenty  miles  down  the  river,  on  a 
boat,  to  guard  one  hundred  contrabands,  while 
cutting  and  loading  cane,  which  grew  in  abun- 
dance in  the  river  bottoms,  and  was  used  by  us  in 
constructing  fortifications. 

When  the  weather  got  cooler,  in  October,  our 
brigade  and  division  drills  occurred  more  frequent- 
ly, including  a  "grand  review"  every  Wednesday. 

Oct.  17th,  Lieut.  Posegate  and  his  recruiting 
party  returned,  with  a  number  of  new  recruits  for 
the  Regiment.  On  the  18th,  we  enlarged  our 
streets  and  prepared  more  comfortable  quarters 
for  the  winter. 

After  the  discharge  of  our  cornet  band  at  Shi- 
loh,  efforts  were  made  to  make  our  drum  corps 
more  efficient,  but  it  was  not  successfully  carried 
out  until  it  was  placed  under  the  leadership  of 
George  McMahon,  after  arriving  here.  From  that 
time  forward,  at  intervals  on  a  march  and  on  en- 
tering towns  and  cities,  the  band  struck  up  some 
patriotic  air,  which  always  elicited  a  hearty  cheer 
from  the  Regiment. 

Sept.  2  2d,  Capt.  Frazee  took  command  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men  of  the  Regiment,  and  went 
up  the  Mississippi  river  on  a  steamer  to  Randolph, 


58  HISTORY    OF   THE 

to  reinforce  a  regiment  of  cavalry  that  had  left 
Memphis  a  week  previous,  on  a  raid.  We  disem- 
barked and  remained  all  night.  During  the  eve- 
ning the  cavalry  made  their  appearance.  The  next 
day  we  returned  with  the  cavalry  to  Memphis. 

On  the  ist  of  November,  the  Regiment  was  or- 
dered again  on  provost-guard.  Companies  B  and 
C  were  stationed  at  the  wharf,  and  guarded  the 
Government  stores.  We  occupied  the  Bradley 
Block,  near  the  landing,  for  our  quarters.  During 
our  stay  the  building  took  fire  under  the  hearth, 
in  the  second  story.  The  alarm  was  given,  but 
before  the  engines  arrived  we  had  the  fire  under 
control.  On  the  evening  of  the  4th,  a  strong  guard 
was  ordered  out  on  patrol  duty,  in  anticipation  of 
a  disturbance  at  the  Warsham  House.  We  pa- 
trolled the  streets  in  that  vicinity  until  midnight, 
but  everything  remained  quiet ;  and  after  partak- 
ing of  a  free  lunch  at  the  hotel,  and  receiving  tick- 
ets for  breakfast,  we  returned  to  our  quarters. 

On  the  7th,  the  Regiment  was  relieved  and  we 
returned  to  camp.  Troops,  under  the  President's 
last  call,  were  now  arriving,  and  by  the  16th  of 
November  quite  a  large  army  was  concentrated 
here,  which  was  formed  into  divisions.  Our  Reg- 
ment  was  placed  in  the  3d  Brigade  and  3d  Divis- 
ion, under  orders  to  be  ready  to  march  on  the  26th 
of  November,  but  on  the  24th  we  were  ordered 
on  provost  duty  in  the  city,  to  relieve  the  46th  Ohio. 

On  the  26th,  all  the  troops,  except  four  or  five 
regiments,  left  for   Holly  Springs,  Miss.     We  re- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  59 

mained  in  the  city  until  the  29th,  when  we  re- 
turned to  camp.  In  the  evening  Companies  A, 
B  and  C  went  on  picket-duty,  on  the  Pigeon  Roost 
road,  running  south  from  Memphis,  and  remained 
two  days. 

The  rebel  cotton-burners,  who  had  been  at 
work,  destroying  all  the  cotton  within  the  vicinity 
of  Memphis,  to  keep  it  from  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  Government,  caught  a  drayman  of  the 
city,  who  had  been  engaged  to  go  beyond 
the  lines,  to  haul  cotton  from  the  neighbor- 
ing plantations.  The  cotton  was  burned,  and 
his  mule  and  dray  were  confiscated.  When  he 
came  through  the  picket-lines  he  informed  us  of 
his  loss,  when  eight  of  the  pickets  volunteered  to 
go  with  him  and  recapture  his  property  A  ba- 
rouche passing  along  was  pressed  into  the  service. 
About  two  miles  out  the  property  was  found  at  an 
old  plantation,  and  returned  to  the  drayman,  who, 
with  many  thanks,  returned  home,  a  happy  man. 

Dec.  5th,  H.  C.  Stewart,  Quartermaster  Serg't., 
was  discharged.  He  afterward  served  in  the  Q. 
M.  Department  until  the  close  of  the  war. 


6o  HISTORY   OF   THE 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Expedition  for  Vicksburg  —  Marching  Orders  —  Down 
the  Mississippi  —  Milliken's  Bend  —  Up  the  Yazoo  — 
March  Through  the  Swamps  —  First  Attack  on  Vicks- 
burg— -Picketing  —  Evacuation — Up  the  Mississippi 
and  Arkansas  Rivers  —  Arkansas  Post  —  Battle  and 
Capture  of  the  Garrison — Loss  in  Killed  and  Wounded. 

^^NOTHER  expedition  was  now  organized, 
Mil  under  Gen.  Sherman,  for  Vicksburg,  to  pro- 
ceed by  boats  down  the  Mississippi  river.  As 
we  were  not  yet  assigned  to  any  Division,  we  had 
concluded  that  we  would  spend  Christmas  at 
Memphis,  and  had  written  home  to  that  effect. 
But  on  the  19th  of  December  Lieut.  Col.  Parker 
made  a  request  of  Gen.  Hurlbut,  Commander  of 
the  Post,  to  have  the  Regiment  relieved  of  garri- 
son duty,  so  as  to  join  the  expedition.  Such  re- 
quests are  always  granted,  and  on  the  following 
day  we  were  ordered  on  board  the  steamer  "  City 
of  Alton."  We  were  placed  in  the  second  brig- 
ade, with  the  19th  Ky.,  77th,  97th,  108th  and  130th 
Illinois  regiments,  commanded  by  Col.  W.  J.  Lan- 
drum,  of  the  19th  Ky.,  and  in  the  Division  com- 
manded by  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith. 

The  Regiment  was  in  command  of  Lieut.  Col. 
Parker.  Col.  Sullivan,  who  was  still  suffering  from 
his  wound,  had  been  appointed  president  of  a  mil- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  6 1 

itary  board,  and  was  left  behind.  Lieut.  Quarter- 
man  was  also  left,  with  several  members  of  the 
Regiment,  who  were  unable  for  duty. 

On  leaving  Camp  Dennison  for  active  service, 
the  Regiment  had  thirteen  teams  and  five  ambu- 
lances. But  now  we  were  only  allowed  five  teams 
and  one  ambulance,  which  was  shortly  after  still 
further  reduced  to  two  teams. 

During  Saturday  the  troops  embarked  on  the 
boats.  That  night  they  were  paid  two  months' 
pay,  and  on  Sunday,  Dec.  21st,  1862,  the  Division 
left  at  2  P.  M.  Memphis,  where  we  had  spent  the 
last  five  months,  was  soon  lost  to  view.  The  boat 
ran  until  1  o'clock  that  night,  then  tied  up  at  Fri- 
ar's Point,  twelve  miles  below  Helena,  Ark.  Here 
the  fleet  of  forty-five  transports,  loaded  with  troops, 
and  several  gun-boats,  joined  us.  The  whole  fleet 
left  on  the  following  morning,  stopping  at  sun- 
down, twenty-five  miles  above  Napoleon,  Ark. — 
Leaving  early  the  next  day,  we  arrived  at  Milli- 
ken's  Bend,  La.,  early  on  Christmas  morning,  where 
we  remained  until  the  first  brigade  destroyed  the 
Shreveport  &  Texas  R.  R. 

Our  next  point  was  Vicksburg,  which  is  located 
at  the  upper  end  of  one  of  the  great  bends  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  on  the  south-east  bank.  It  is 
situated  on  very  high  bluffs,  which  would  almost 
bar  a  direct  attack  from  the  front.  The  hills  ex- 
tend north-east  to  Haines'  Bluff,  on  the  Yazoo  riv- 
er, about  ten  miles  above  where  it  empties  into 
the  Mississippi.     Between  these  hills  and  the  two 


62  HISTORY    OF   THE 

rivers  are  the  Yazoo  Swamps,  noted  for  their  dense 
woods  and  low,  marshy  lands,  part  of  which  was 
once  the  old  bed  of  the  Yazoo. 

On  the  26th  we  proceeded  down  the  Mississippi 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo,  and  up  that  river  about 
six  miles,  where  we  landed  on  the  south  bank,  on 
the  27th,  with  two  days'  rations,  and  bivouacked 
for  the  night  on  the  river  bank.  During  the  eve- 
ning we  received  orders  to  move  on  the  following 
morning  (Sunday)  at  four  o'clock.  We  were  on 
the  march  with  our  brigade  at  the  appointed  time. 
After  following  up  the  Yazoo  two  or  three  miles, 
we  turned  to  the  right,  and  marched  several  miles 
through  a  thick-timbered  swamp.  At  about  8  A. 
M.  the  booming  of  cannon  and  the  crash  of  mus- 
ketry on  our  left  told  us  the  battle  had  begun. — 
We  formed  in  line  of  battle,  marched  to  the  left  of 
the  road  and  halted.  The  fighting  on  our  left  in- 
creased with  every  volley.  The  smoke  and  fog 
became  so  thick  we  could  scarcely  see  twenty 
yards  in  advance.  We  remained  there  a  short 
time,  when  we  were  ordered  forward,  and  after 
passing  the  troops  in  reserve,  we  soon  reached  the 
skirmish  line  of  the  77th  Ills.  We  then  advanced 
with  them  in  line  of  battle,  through  a  dense  forest 
of  live-oak  and  cypress,  covered  with  Spanish 
moss.  We  drove  the  enemy's  pickets  about  a 
mile,  when  we  came  in  sight  of  their  fortifications, 
situated  on  a  high  hill,  in  front  of  which  they  had 
cut  down  the  timber.  We  remained  in  sight  of 
their  batteries  until  evening,  when  the  Regiment 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  63 

returned  to  the  Division,  about  one  mile  in  the 
rear,  and  camped  for  the  night,  leaving  the  77th 
Ills,  on  picket. 

The  battle  on  our  left  continued  without  any  in- 
termission all  day.  The  next  day,  29th,  at  day- 
break, the  firing  was  resumed  on  our  left,  and  was 
kept  up  as  on  the  previous  day.  We  remained  in 
reserve  until  evening,  when  two  companies  were 
ordered  on  picket  in  the  rear.  That  evening  a 
heavy  rain  set  in  and  continued  all  night.  The 
day  following  being  too  wet  for  military  opera- 
tions, we  remained  in  camp. 

Dec.  31st,  the  Regiment  went  on  picket,  occu- 
pying the  position  the  77th  Ills,  held  on  the  28th, 
with  the  right  of  the  Regiment  extending  to  the 
Mississippi  river  above  Vicksburg.  We  relieved 
the  old  guards  at  9  A.  M.  under  a  heavy  fire.  We 
spent  a  quiet  day,  except  an  occasional  shot  from 
the  rebel  pickets.  That  night  we  suffered  from 
the  cold  weather,  having  left  everything  but  our 
rubber  blankets  on  the  boat.  In  the  absence  of 
woolen  blankets,  the  pickets  in  reserve  made  beds 
out  of  Spanish  moss. 

January  1st,  1863,  we  were  relieved,  and  re- 
turned to  camp  in  the  rear  again.  New  Year's 
day  was  spent  in  making  shelter,  gathering  leaves 
and  moss  for  beds,  and  cleaning  our  camp-ground. 
But  we  were  not  permitted  to  enjoy  our  comforta- 
ble booths.  At  9  o'clock  that  evening,  Companies 
C  and  K  were  sent  to  the  landing,  with  orders  to 
load  all  our  stores  by  4  o'clock  next  morning  on 


64  HISTORY   OF   THE 

board  the  steamer  "City  of  Alton,"  as  the  army 
was  to  evacuate  at  that  time.  We  labored 
hard  all  night,  and  at  daylight  the  troops  em- 
barked on  the  boats,  but  the  fleet  did  not  leave 
until  i  o'clock  P.  M.  Shortly  after  leaving,  a  vio- 
lent rain-storm  began  and  raged  two  days  and 
nights.  What  our  condition  would  have  been  had 
we  remained  in  that  dismal  swamp,  called  by  the 
soldiers  "  the  valley  of  death,"  can  better  be  im- 
agined than  described. 

The  campaign  contemplated  an  attack  on  Vicks- 
burg,  by  Gen.  Grant's  army  marching  through 
Mississippi  from  Memphis,  and  getting  in  the  rear 
of  Vicksburg,  while  Gen.  Sherman,  with  40,000 
men,  was  to  descend  the  Mississippi  river,  and  at- 
tack from  the  north,  on  Chickasaw  Bayou.  But 
the  day  before  Gen.  Sherman  left  Memphis  with 
his  fleet.  Holly  Springs,  Gen.  Grant's  base  of  sup- 
plies, with  its  immense  quantity  of  military  stores, 
had  surrendered  to  the  rebels  without  firing  a  shot, 
which  compelled  Gen.  Grant  to  retreat.  Gen. 
Sherman  not  being  aware  of  this,  made  the  attack 
alone.  The  enemy  then  sent  their  troops  by  rail 
to  Vicksburg  in  such  numbers  that  they  soon  out- 
numbered us.  They  being  behind  fortifications, 
had  every  advantage,  which  made  it  an  unequal 
contest.  After  a  loss  of  about  2,000  men,  Gen. 
Sherman  withdrew  his  army,  and  on  the  4th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1863,  was  relieved  by  Gen.  McClernand,  who 
assumed  command  and  divided  the  army  into  two 
corps.     Gen.  Morgan  commanded  the  first  corps, 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.    I.  65 

to  which  our  Division  —  A.  J.  Smith's  —  belonged. 
This  Division  afterward  became  the  13th  Corps, 
and  Gen.  Sherman  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
second  Corps. 

Gen.  McClernand  soon  after  ordered  the  army 
to  Arkansas  Post.  We  now  proceeded  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi with  the  fleet,  arriving  at  the  mouth  of 
White  river  during  the  night  of  the  7th  of  January. 
We  remained  until  the  9th,  then  started  up  White 
river.  Upon  reaching  the  cut-off,  we  crossed  to 
the  Arkansas,  and  passed  up  that  river  to  within 
three  miles  of  Arkansas  Post,  and  tied  up  on  the 
right  bank  at  10  o'clock  A.  M.,  Jan.  10th.  The 
troops  disembarked,  with  two  days  rations,  and  at 
3  P  M.  we  started  up  the  river.  After  marching 
an  hour,  we  halted  in  a  corn-field,  and  after  par- 
taking of  a  hasty  supper,  we  resumed  our  march. 
In  the  meantime  the  gun-boats  had  opened  a 
heavy  fire  on  the  rebel  batteries,  in  the  fort,  which 
was  continued  for  several  hours  without  intermis- 
sion. After  passing  the  gun-boats,  that  lay  in  the 
bend  of  the  river,  just  below,  and  in  range  of  the 
rebel  batteries,  we  entered  a  dense  swamp.  Night 
overtook  us  and  then  our  march  became  difficult. 
Passing  over  logs,  through  mud  and  water,  we 
halted  at  9  P.  M.,  in  the  rear  of  the  rebel  fort,  and 
slept  on  our  arms.  The  weather  was  cold,  and  being 
without  blankets,  and  allowed  no  fires,  we  spent  a 
very  disagreeable  night. 

Sunday  morning,  Jan.  nth,  our  brigade  was  or- 
dered to  a  position  on  the  extreme  left,   within 


66  HISTORY   OF   THE 

sight  of  the  fort,  and  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
the  river.  Here  we  remained  until  n  o'clock  A. 
M.,  when,  with  two  other  regiments  of  the  bri- 
gade, we  were  ordered  back  to  the  center  of  the 
Division,  in  reserve:  At  half-past  twelve,  the  bat- 
teries being  in  position,  opened,  with  the  gun- 
boats, a  terrific  cannonading,  which  continued 
half  an  hour  before  the  infantry  became  engaged. 
We  were  then  ordered  to  the  right  to  support  Gen. 
Burbridge's  brigade.  Here  we  left  our  haversacks 
and  blankets,  and  advanced  in  the  direction  of  the 
fort.  Upon  reaching  the  edge  of  the  woods,  we 
were  halted. 

We  were  now  within  reach  of  the  enemy's  fire, 
and  now  and  then  a  shell  would  come  crashing 
through  the  timber.  Before  us  was  a  large,  open 
field  ;  on  the  opposite  side,  the  rebel  fort ;  to  our 
right,  their  entrenchments.  Half-way  across  the 
field  was  the  first  line  of  our  infantry,  fiercely  en- 
gaged. We  had  halted  but  a  few  minutes,  when 
Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  ordered  us  to  the  right.  We  had 
proceeded  but  a  short  distance,  when  some  of  the 
troops  in  front  were  thrown  into  confusion.  At 
that  moment  Maj.  Hammond,  of  Gen.  Sherman's 
staff,  came  riding  up  and  gave  the  command,  "48th 
Ohio,  by  the  left  flank,  double-quick,  march  ! " 
This  put  us  in  line  of  battle,  facing  the  enemy. 
With  a  wild  cheer,  we  started  across  the  field,  halt- 
ing within  twenty  yards  of  the  first  line  of  battle, 
occupied  at  that  point  by  the  23d  Wisconsin. — 
We  were  halted  and  ordered  to  lie  down,  when  we 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  67 

were  informed  that  Col.  Parker  had  been  wounded 
in  the  arm,  and  that  Capt.  Peterson,  of  Co.  K,  was 
in  command  of  the  Regiment. 

We  remained  here  about  fifteen  minutes,  when 
we  moved  forward  and  relieved  the  23d  Wisconsin, 
who  were  out  of  ammunition.  This  brought  us 
within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  fort,  and  a  field 
battery,  just  outside.  This  battery,  and  also  one 
of  steel  guns,  on  the  inside  of  the  fort,  were  soon 
silenced  by  our  unerring  fire.  Our  batteries, 
which  had  been  brought  up,  soon  exploded  the  en- 
emy's magazines  and  caissons,  which  sent  the  frag- 
ments flying  to  every  part  of  their  works.  The 
gun-boats,  having  disabled  the  two  large  siege 
guns,  that  commanded  their  approach,  passed  the 
fort,  and  poured  broadside  after  broadside  into  the 
enemy's  rear. 

The  long  lines  of  our  infantry  that  stretched 
away  to  the  right,  had  advanced  under  a  heavy  fire 
from  the  enemy,  to  within  a  short  distance  of  their 
entrenchments,  and  were  preparing  for  a  charge, 
when  the  rebels,  at  20  minutes  past  4  P.  M.,  raised 
the  white,  flag.  With  a  loud  cheer,  we  started  on 
double-quick  to  the  fort.  Our  Regiment  was 
among  the  first  to  enter,  and  our  flag  was  the  sec- 
ond planted  on  the  rebel  fortifications.  Three  of 
our  companies  were  commanded  by  First  Ser- 
geants. The  Regiment  lost  two  killed  and  thir- 
teen wounded. 

The  army  captured  about  5,000  rebel  prisoners 
and    all    their  military  supplies.     That  night,  we 


68  HISTORY   OF   THE 

bivouacked  on  the  battle-ground,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  after  destroying  the  fortifications,  we 
camped  in  the  woods,  a  short  distance  below  the 
fort. 

Jan.  14th,  the  Regiment  was  ordered  on  board 
the  "City  of  Alton,"  and  one  company  on  picket. 
It  rained  all  day,  and  continued  until  midnight, 
when  it  turned  to  snow.  The  pickets  suffered 
more  from  exposure  that  night,  than  at  any  other 
time  during  their  entire  service. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  69 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Return  Down  the  Eiver — Napoleon  —  Young's  Point  — 
Digging  the  Canal  — Overflowed  —  Scheme  Abandoned 
—  Pioneer  Corps  —  Promotions  —  Arrival  of  General 
Grant  —  New  Camp  — Milliken's  Bend —  Change  of  Sur- 
geons —  Paymaster  —  Complimentary  Order  —  Major 
Moats  —  Military    Board — Seventeenth  Ohio  Battery. 

«?E  left  Arkansas  Post  on  the  morning  of  Jan. 
Is?  17th,  and  arrived  at  Napoleon  at  noon, 
where  we  remained  Sunday,  the  18th.  During 
that  night  three  of  the  Regiment  deserted.  The 
next  day  we  started  for  Young's  Point,  situated 
opposite  Vicksburg,  where  we  arrived  on  the  21st. 

Our  trips  on  steamboats  were  very  unhealthy, 
especially  when  confined  any  length  of  time,  with 
so  large  a  number  as  we  had  on  the  "City  of  Al- 
ton." The  48th  was  put  on  with  the  108th  Illi- 
nois, that  had  over  1,000  men,  besides  Col.  Land- 
rum's  brigade  headquarters,  and  all  the  horses 
and  mules  belonging  to  the  two  regiments.  In 
pleasant  weather  the  men  could  sleep  comfortably 
almost  anywhere,  but  during  a  rain  or  snow-storm 
the  suffering  from  exposure  was  intense. 

The  army  was  compelled  to  live  principally  on 
crackers,  as  there  were  no  accommodations  what- 
ever for  cooking.  Before  leaving  Arkansas  Post 
the  weather  turned  very  cold,  which,  with  the  un- 


7°  HISTORY    OF   THE 

avoidable  use  of  the  Yazoo  water  at  Vicksburg, 
the  close  confinement  on  the  over-crowded  steam- 
boats, and  poorly  prepared  food,  disabled  nearly 
half  the  troops  in  the  whole  expedition.  The  108th 
Illinois,  being  a  new  regiment,  suffered  severely. 
Nearly  three  -  fourths  were  rendered  unable  for 
duty,  and  death  was  thinning  their  ranks  at  a  fear- 
ful rate,  so  that  our  steamer  had  the  appearance 
of  a  hospital  boat.  Our  Regiment  escaped  with 
scarcely  any  sickness,  especially  of  a  fatal  char- 
acter. 

January  14th,  Capt.  John  W.  Frazee  resigned, 
and  on  the  23d,  First  Lieut.  Charles  A.  Partridge's 
resignation  was  accepted.  The  same  day  we  dis- 
embarked, and  marched  three  miles  down  the  riv- 
er, and  camped  along  the  levee.  On  the  25th, 
the  Regiment  was  allotted  its  share  of  the  canal. 
Our  portion  was  the  length  of  the  Regiment,  as  it 
stood  in  two  ranks. 

Jan.  26th,  a  detail  of  eight  men  from  the  Regi- 
ment was  made  for  the  gun-boat  Chillicothe.  In 
the  attack  on  Fort  Pemberton,  March  12th,  1863, 
while  the  Chillicothe  was  shelling  the  fort,  a  shell 
from  the  enemy  exploded  at  the  port-hole,  just  as 
our  gunners  were  in  the  act  offloading,  which  ex- 
ploded their  shell,  aud  killed  Thomas  Henderson, 
of  company  D,  wounded  a  member  of  company  K, 
and  J.  F  Holladay,  of  company  C,  in  the  right 
foot,  which  made  amputation  necessary. 

Our  time  was  occupied  in  digging  the  canal 
across  the  bend  of  the  river.      Our  part  was  com- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  7 1 

pleted  on  the  6th  of  February.  Some  of  the  other 
regiments,  however,  were  not  so  far  advanced, 
when  the  river,  which  had  been  rising,  broke  over 
the  dam  at  the  levee  that  night,  and  flooded  the 
whole  peninsula  with  from  five  to  seven  feet  of 
water,  which  caused  the  scheme  to  be  abandoned. 

The  object  of  the  canal  was  to  let  the  boats  pass 
through,  and  thus  avoid  the  batteries  in  front  of 
Vicksburg.  Since  the  close  of  the  war,  a  channel 
has  been  cut  across  the  point  where  the  first  at- 
tempt to  dig  the  canal  by  dredge-boats  was  made, 
and  boats  are  now  obliged  to  pass  through  this 
channel,  which  in  time  will  leave  Vicksburg  off  at 
one  side. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  the  Pioneer  Corps  was 
organized,  by  transfers  from  each  regiment  in  the 
brigade.  The  48th  furnished  fifteen  men  as  its 
quota. 

Feb.  14th,  Capt.  Robins  resigned;  on  the  15th, 
Capt.  Joshua  Hussey ;  on  the  20th,  Capt.  J.  C. 
Kelsey  ;  and  on  the  21st,  Capt.  S.  G.  W  Peter- 
son and  Lieut.  W.  E.  Brayman,  Quartermaster. 
Lieut.  J.  R.  Lynch  was  appointed  Quartermaster 
in  the  latter's  place. 

Young's  Point,  at  that  time  of  the  year,  present- 
ed a  dark  and  gloomy  aspect.  In  our  front  was  the 
Mississippi  river ;  in  the  rear,  a  dreary  swamp, 
covered  with  water,  from  one  to  two  feet  deep, 
leaving  us  but  a  narrow  strip  of  dry  land  along  the 
levee,  on  which  to  set  our  tents.  The  winter 
winds  and  heavy  rains  had  unobstructed  play  on 


72  HISTORY    OF   THE 

our  canvas  dwellings,  and  it  was  a  common  occur- 
rence for  the  men  to  emerge  from  underneath  their 
prostrate  tents,  after  a  heavy  storm  of  wind  and 
rain,  as  it  swept  down  the  Mississippi. 

On  the  1 8th,  the  following  commissions  were 
received  from  Gov.  Tod  :  J.  C.  Kelsey,  J.  A.  Be- 
ring, Joshua  Hussey  and  R.  T.  Wilson,  promoted 
to  Captains.  C.  P.  Bratt,  Geo.  W  Mosgrove, 
Daniel  Gunsaullus  and  J.  R.  Lynch  to  First  Lieu- 
tenants j  Cornelius  Conard,  Thomas  Montgomery 
and  M.  McCafferty  to  Second  Lieutenants.  In 
the  meantime,  Gen.  Grant  had  arrived  and  taken 
command,  and  reorganized  the  whole  army.  Our 
Brigade  and  Division  was  placed  in  the  13th  Army 
Corps,  under  Gen.  McClernand. 

Feb.  20th,  we  moved  a  short  distance  up  the 
river,  to  a  higher  camping-ground.  The  river  still 
kept  rising,  therefore,  March  9th,  the  Regiment 
embarked  on  the  steamer  "  Hiawatha,"  and  moved 
up  with  our  Corps  to  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  and 
camped  along  the  levee. 

March  nth,  Surgeon  M.  F  Carey,  who  had 
been  captured  at  Shiloh,  having  resigned  after  he 
was  exchanged,  Ass't.  Surgeon  Plyn.  A.  Willis  was 
promoted  to  Surgeon.  A.  A.  Johnson,  our  Ass't. 
Surgeon,  who  had  remained  with  the  Regiment 
when  scarcely  able  to  stand,  and  neglected  him- 
self while  attending  to  the  duties  of  the  hospital, 
and  part  of  the  time  all  alone,  was  finally  com- 
pelled to  resign.  He  took  his  departure  when  we 
left  Young's  Point. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  73 

March  14th,  we  received  four  months  pay,  and 
sent  our  surplus  money  home  by  Rev  John  Spence, 
our  Chaplain,  who  resigned  on  the  18th.  The 
same  day,  Serg't.  Major  E.  A.  Conkling  was  dis- 
charged on  account  of  disability.  On  the  28th, 
we  were  inspected  by  the  Corps-officer  of  the  day, 
and  on  the  next  day  the  following  order  was  issued, 
in  regard  to  our  camp,  and  read  to  the  troops  on 
dress-parade  : 

"  Headquarters  13TH  Army  Corps,     { 
Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  March  29,  1863.  ) 

"Accepting  the  report  of  the  Corps-officer  of  the 
day  as  a  tribute  to  merit,  the  Commanding  Gen- 
eral, John  A.  McClernand,  takes  great  pleasure  in 
commending  the  cleanliness  and  good  government 
which  characterizes  the  camps  of  the  48th  and 
114th  Ohio  Infantry,  as  being  worthy  of  imitation. 

[Signed]        "Your  Ob't  Serv't.  &c, 

"WALTER  B.  SCATES, 
"Lieut.  Col.  &  Ass't.  Adj't.  Gen'l. 
"  To  48th  Ohio,  through  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith." 

The  praise  received  for  the  cleanliness  and  good 
order  of  our  camp,  on  this  as  well  as  other  occa- 
sions, was  in  a  great  measure  due  to  the  untiring 
energy  of  Adj't.  McGill. 

April  2d,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  men  and  two 
officers  were  sent  as  a  guard,  with  a  boat  that  was 
used  by  a  military  board,  in  collecting  evidence 
along  the  Mississippi  river,  in  regard  to  some  cot- 
ton speculations.  They  were  absent  one  week, 
during  which  time  the  remainder  of  the  Regiment 
was  excused  from  duty      While  here  a  detail  of 


74  HISTORY    OF   THE 

ten  men  was  made  from  the  Regiment  to  fill  up 
the  17th  Ohio  Battery. 

Since  leaving  Memphis,  the  Regiment  had  lost 
by  resignation  fifteen  officers.  Their  places  had 
been  partly  filled  by  promotions  in  February.  On 
the  9th  of  April,  Capt.  Moats  returned  from  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  promoted  to  Major,  and  took  com- 
mand of  the  Regiment.  He  brought  commissions 
for  the  following  members  of  the  Regiment :  D. 
Gunsaullus,  promoted  to  Captain  ;  A.  M.  Cochran, 
C.  Conard,  Thomas  Montgomery,  W  H.  H.  Rike, 
M.  McCafferty,  W.  H.  Smith  and  R.  A.  South  to 
First  Lieutenants;  and  Harvey  W  Day,  J.  K. 
Reed,  J.  M.  Kendall,  Jesse  H.  Allison  and  W.  J. 
Srofe  to  Second  Lieutenants.  Shortly  after,  Lieut. 
Conard,  Co.  A,  and  Lieut.  Plyly,  Co.  B,  were  per- 
manently transferred  to  the  Signal  Corps,  and 
Lieut.  Jesse  H.  Allison  was  detailed  as  Aid-de- 
Camp  on  the  staff  of  Col.  W.  J.  Landrum. 

While  at  Milliken's  Bend,  the  sickness  contract- 
ed on  steamers  and  at  Young's  Point  began  to  ter- 
minate fatally,  the  mortality  being  confined  chiefly 
to  the  new  regiments.  The  muffled  drums  were 
heard  all  day  long,  and  the  parting  volleys  at  the 
graves  on  the  slope  of  the  levee  awoke  the  echoes 
across  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  while  com- 
rades were  laid  in  their  last  resting-place,  far  from 
the  loved  ones  at  home. 

"  Soldier,  rest !   thy  warfare  o'er  ; 
Dream  of  battle-fields  no  more ; 
Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking, 
Morn  of  toil,  nor  night  of  waking." 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  75 


CHAPTER  X. 

Marching  Orders  —  To  the  Rear  of  Vicksburg  —  Holmes' 
Plantation  —  Our  Gun-boats  Passing  the  Vicksburg 
Batteries  —  Smith's  Landing  —  Return  of  Lieut.  Col. 
Parker  —  Lake  St.  Joe  —  Grand  Gulf — Crossing  the 
Mississippi  at  Bruinsburg — -Battle  of  Magnolia  Hills 
—  Port  Gibson  —  Grind-Stone  Ford  —  Foragers —  Rocky 
Springs — Willow  Springs — Cayuga  —  Gen.  Sherman's 
Visit —  Old  Auburn  —  Raymond  —  Battle  of  Champion 
Hills  —  Black  River  Bridge. 

^tHp|PRIL  15th,  we  received  marching  orders,  and 
°M<Wt  left  with  the  Corps  on  our  way  through  Lou- 
isiana, to  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  The  troops,  as 
usual  on  the  first  day's  march  in  a  campaign, 
loaded  themselves  down  with  extra  clothing, 
blankets  and  surplus  baggage.  The  day  proved 
to  be  one  of  those  hot,  sultry,  spring  days,  with 
not  a  ripple  of  air  stirring.  At  the  first  halt, 
knapsacks  were  unloaded,  which  process  contin- 
ued all  day.  By  night  the  army  was  in  light 
marching  order.  The  line  of  march  had  been 
strewn  with  abandoned  clothing,  &c,  which  the 
slaves  gathered  as  we  passed.  We  camped  near 
Richmond,  La.,  at  sun-down;  continued  our  march 
the  next  day  and  camped  in  the  evening  at 
Holmes'  Plantation,  Madison  Parish.  During  the 
night  the  gun-boats  and  transports  ran  past   the 


76  HISTORY   OF   THE 

batteries  at  Vicksburg.  Gen.  Sherman,  in  his 
"Memoirs,"  gives  a  graphic  description  of  the  pas- 
sage of  the  boats  past  the  batteries.     He  says  : 

"Gen.  Grant's  orders  for  the  general  movement 
past  Vicksburg  by  Richmond  and  Carthage,  were 
dated  April  20,  1863.  McClernand  was  to  lead 
off  with  his  corps,  McPherson  next,  and  my  corps 
(the  15th)  to  bring  up  the  rear.  Preliminary 
thereto,  on  the  night  of  April  16,  seven  iron-clads, 
led  by  Admiral  Porter  in  person,  in  the  Benton, 
with  three  transports  and  ten  barges  in  tow,  ran 
the  Vicksburg  batteries  by  night.  Anticipating  a 
scene,  I  had  four  yawl-boats  hauled  across  the 
swamp  to  the  reach  of  the  river  below  Vicksburg, 
and  manned  them  with  soldiers,  ready  to  pick  up 
any  of  the  disabled  wrecks  as  they  floated  by.  I 
was  out  on  the  stream  when  the  fleet  passed  Vicks- 
burg, and  the  scene  was  truly  sublime.  As  soon 
as  the  rebel  gunners  detected  the  Benton,  which 
was  in  the  lead,  they  opened  on  her,  and  on  the 
others  in  succession,  with  shot  and  shell.  Houses 
on  the  Vicksburg  side  and  on  the  opposite  shore 
were  set  on  fire,  which  lighted  up  the  whole  river; 
and  the  roar  of  cannon,  bursting  of  shells,  and 
finally  the  burning  of  the  Henry  Clay,  drifting 
with  the  current,  made  up  a  picture  terrible,  not 
often  seen.  Each  gun-boat  returned  the  fire  as 
she  passed  the  town,  while  the  transports  hugged 
the  opposite  shore. 

"When  the  Benton  had  got  abreast  of  us,  I 
pulled   off  to  her,  boarded,  and  had  a  few  words 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  77 

with  Admiral  Porter,  and  as  she  was  drifting  rap- 
idly toward  the  batteries  at  Warrenton,  I  left,  and 
pulled  back  toward  the  shore,  meeting  the  gun- 
boat Tuscumbia,  towing  the  Forest  Queen  into 
the  bank,  out  of  the  range  of  fire.  The  Forest 
Queen,  Capt.  Conway,  had  been  my  flag-boat  up 
the  Arkansas,  and  for  some  time  after,  and  I  was 
very  friendly  with  the  officers.  This  was  the  only 
transport  whose  Captain  would  not  receive  vol- 
unteers as  a  crew,  but  her  own  officers  and  crew 
carried  her  safely  below  the  Vicksburg  batteries, 
and  afterward  rendered  splendid  service  in  ferry- 
ing troops  across  the  river  at  Grand  Gulf  and 
Bruinsburg.  In  passing  Vicksburg  she  was  dam- 
aged in  the  hull,  and  had  a  steam-pipe  cut  away, 
but  this  was  soon  repaired.  The  Henry  Clay  was 
set  on  fire  by  bursting  shells,  and  burned  up. 
One  of  my  yawls  picked  up  her  pilot,  floating  on 
a  piece  of  wreck,  and  the  bulk  of  her  crew  es- 
caped in  their  own  yawl-boat  to  the  shore  above. 
The  Silver  Wave,  Capt.  McMillan,  the  same  that 
was  with  us  up  Steel's  Bayou,  passed  safely,  and 
she  rendered  good  service  afterward. 

"Subsequently,  on  the  night  of  April  26th,  six 
other  transports,  with  numerous  barges  loaded 
with  hay,  corn,  freight  and  provisions,  were  drift- 
ed past  Vicksburg.  Of  these  the  Tigress  was  hit, 
and  sunk  just  as  she  reached  the  river  bank  below, 
on  our  side.  I  was  there  with  my  yawls,  and  saw 
Col.  Lagow,  of  Gen.  Grant's  staff,  who  had  passed 
the  batteries  on  the  Tigress,  and  I  think  he  was 


78  HISTORY    OF   THE 

satisfied  never  to  attempt  such  a  thing  again. 
Thus  Gen.  Grant's  army  had  below  Vicksburg  an 
abundance  of  stores,  and  boats  with  which  to 
cross  the  river." 

We  remained  here  until  the  24th,  when  at  8 
o'clock  P.  M.  we  received  orders  to  march  in  fifteen 
minutes,  at  which  time  it  began  to  rain.  In  half  an 
hour  we  were  on  the  road,  which  was  rough  and 
slippery,  and  through  a  soil  of  black  loam  that 
had  been  badly  cut  up  by  the  advance  troops. 
The  night  being  very  dark,  we  made  slow  progress 
through  the  mud  and  rain.  We  halted  at  three 
o'clock  next  morning  in  a  corn-field,  at  Smith's 
Landing,  near  Carthage.  Here  we  were  allowed 
but  one  wagon  to  the  Regiment,  and  all  the  extra 
baggage  was  left  behind. 

On  the  26th,  Lieut.  Col.  Parker,  who  had  been 
home  since  he  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Ar- 
kansas Post,  returned  and  took  command  of  the 
Regiment.  Resumed  our  march  that  evening  at 
7  o'clock,  in  the  rain,  and  halted  near  midnight, 
on  the  road-side.  We  continued  our  march  the 
next  day,  but  owing  to  the  rain  and  bad  roads, 
we  made  but  four  miles.  On  the  28th,  we  reached 
the  Mississippi  river  at  noon,  marched  down  the 
levee,  and  struck  Lake  St.  Joe.  On  the  banks  of 
this  delightful  lake  were  beautiful  mansions,  with 
lawns,  surrounded  by  hedge-roses  in  full  bloom, 
which  was  a  great  contrast  to  the  country  through 
which  we  had  passed.  The  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion of  the  plantations,  with  the  droves  of  slaves, 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  79 

indicated  that  the  war  had  reached  the  homes  of 
the  wealthy  people  of  the  South. 

On  the  29th,  we  reached  the  Mississippi  river 
again,  and  camped  opposite  Grand  Gulf.  That 
night  seven  gun-boats  and  six  transports,  under 
a  heavy  fire,  and  in  full  view  of  the  army,  ran  past 
the  rebel  batteries.  The  next  day,  April  30th,  at 
1  P  M.,  the  48th  Ohio  and  77th  Illinois,  leaving 
wagons  and  all  baggage  behind,  embarked  on  the 
U.  S.  gun-boat  Louisville,  of  which  Acting  Ensign 
Frank  Bates  was  the  executive  officer,  and  landed 
ten  miles  below,  at  Bruinsburg,  Mississippi.  We 
remained  there  until  n  o'clock  that  night,  when 
we  moved  forward  with  the  army  to  Port  Gibson. 
We  marched  all  night,  and  on  account  of  the 
heavy  firing  in  front,  did  not  halt  for  breakfast  in 
the  morning,  but  hastened  forward  on  double-quick 
until  10  o'clock  A.  M.,  when  we  reached  the  bat- 
tle-field of  Magnolia  Hills,  near  Port  Gibson. 
This  name  was  derived  from  the  magnolia  trees, 
which  were  in  full  bloom. 

We  crossed  an  open  field  and  entered  a  thick 
cane-brake,  through  which  we  penetrated  in  line 
of  battle,  with  great  difficulty.  We  were  now  in 
range  of  the  enemy's  fire,  and  their  musket-balls 
came  crashing  through  the  cane  thick  and  fast. 
Just  as  we  emerged  from  the  cane-brake  into  an 
open  field,  the  enemy  repulsed  an  Iowa  regiment. 
We  hurried  to  their  assistance,  which  caused  the 
enemy  to  retreat  We  made  a  halt  on  the  crest 
of  a  hill,  in  full  view  of  the  rebel  army,  who  still 


8©  HISTORY  OF  THE 

held  a  very  strong  position  on  our  right,  but  they, 
fearing  a  flank  movement,  withdrew  in  haste. 

We  bivouacked  on  the  battle-field,  and  during 
the  night  our  supplies  reached  us.  Rations  were 
issued  for  supper,  making  the  first  meal  that  day. 
The  long  roll  beat  about  midnight,  but  proved  to 
be  a  false  alarm.  The  only  casualty  in  our  Regi- 
ment was  one  wounded  in  Co.  K.  The  enemy's 
fire  was  too  high,  cutting  off  the  cane  far  above 
our  heads.  Early  next  morning,  May  2d,  we  ad- 
vanced with  a  strong  skirmish-line  in  front,  and 
entered  Port  Gibson  at  9  A.  M.,  where  we  found 
the  public  and  private  buildings  crowded  with 
rebel  wounded.  The  Regiment  stacked  arms  on 
the  side-walk,  under  the  shade-trees.  The  enemy 
had  retreated  over  the  south  fork  of  Piere  river, 
destroying  the  bridge  after  them.  The  following 
morning  we  crossed  the  river  on  a  pontoon  bridge, 
marched  all  day,  and  crossed  the  north  fork  at 
Grindstone  Ford  in  the  evening,  and  camped  near 
the  stream. 

The  provisions  that  we  started  with  had  lasted 
up  to  this  time,  but  we  had  cut  loose  from  our 
base,  which  prevented  us  from  getting  another 
supply.  Orders  were  therefore  issued  to  subsist 
on  the  products  of  the  country  through  which  we 
marched ;  and  from  that  time  forward  until  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  foraging  parties,  or  perhaps 
better  known  as  "  bummers,"  were  sent  out  daily, 
to  procure  all  the  provisions  and  forage  that  was 
required   for   the   army.     They   left   camp   every 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  8 1 

morning,  in  advance  of  the  infantry,  and  a  curious 
sight  they  were  to  behold,  as  they  galloped  by  at 
full  speed,  mounted  on  such  "  critters  "  as  they 
could  gather  up  on  their  expeditions.  They  were 
dressed  in  such  clothes  as  suited  their  fancy — the 
Union  blue,  the  rebel  gray  and  butternut,  with  a 
considerable  number  in  citizens'  attire. 

They  were  a  jolly,  mischievous  set,  eager  and 
ready  for  any  adventure.  No  sooner  were  they 
beyond  the  lines  than  they  began  their  work. 
They  slaughtered  the  pigs  in  the  pens  ;  the  cattle 
and  horses  were  driven  from  the  fields ;  smoke- 
houses and  cellars  were  ransacked  for  flour,  meal 
and  bacon ;  the  chickens  and  turkeys  were  cap- 
tured in  the  yard  ;  the  mules  were  hitched  to  the 
family  carriage,  and  the  provisions  stowed  away  in 
it,  when  it  was  driven  to  the  next  plantation,  where 
the  same  ceremony  was  repeated.  Toward  eve- 
ning the  foragers  returned  to  camp,  driving  the 
cattle  before  them,  followed  by  a  long  line  of  ve- 
hicles of  every  description,  loaded  with  all  kinds 
of  provisions,  which  was  equally  distributed  among 
the  different  regiments. 

We  remained  at  Grindstone  Ford  until  May 
5th,  when  the  Regiment  was  detailed  to  guard 
Gen.  McClernand's  headquarters.  In  the  eve- 
ning we  resumed  our  march,  and  halted  at  mid- 
night at  Rocky  Springs.  We  remained  here  until 
the  8th,  when,  by  request  of  Col.  W.  J.  Landrum, 
our  brigade  commander,  we  were  relieved  and 
joined    our  brigade  at  Willow  Springs.     We   left 


82  HISTORY    OF    THE 

that  evening,  and  camped  at  Cayuga  the  next 
evening.  The  following  day.  May  nth,  Gen. 
Sherman's  Corps  arrived.  While  his  troops  were 
passing,  he  paid  us  a  friendly  visit,  and  discussed 
the  campaign  quite  familiarly  with  the  Regiment. 
He  also  said,  he  would  be  pleased  to  have  us  back 
again  in  his  Corps.  When  he  took  his  departure, 
three  rousing  cheers  were  given  for  Gen.  Sher- 
man, the  favorite  of  the  48th. 

We  left  May  12th,  and  camped  the  day  follow- 
ing at  Old  Auburn,  where  we  remained  until 
the  15th,  when  we  left  for  Raymond,  arriving 
there  in  the  evening,  and  camped  near  the  bat- 
tle-field of  the  12th.  On  the  morning  of  the  16th, 
the  48th  Ohio  and  19th  Ky.  were  ordered  to  guard 
the  Division  train.  The  enemy  was  now  contend- 
ing for  every  foot  of  advantageous  ground,  which 
made  our  advance  very  slow.  At  1 1  A.  M.  they 
made  a  bold  stand  with  25,000  men,  at  Champion 
Hills,  a  very  strong  position.  Our  troops  were 
now  hurried  forward.  The  artillery  passed  us  on 
a  gallop.  Regiment  after  regiment  went  by  on 
the  double-quick,  covered  with  dust,  which  told 
plainly  of  many  miles  traveled  that  morning.  We 
were  still  guarding  the  train,  but  when  the  battle 
commenced  we  were  relieved  by  request  of  Lieut. 
Col.  Parker  and  sent  to  our  Division,  on  the  ex- 
treme left,  and  placed  in  the  reserve.  By  2 
o'clock  P.  M.  Gen.  Hovey  had  made  several  un- 
successful attempts  to  drive  the  enemy  from  his 
position,  but  was  repulsed  with  a  heavy  loss.     In 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  83 

the  meantime,  our  Corps  on  the  left,  and  Gen. 
Logan  on  the  right,  were  swinging  around  to  their 
rear.  Gen.  Logan,  reaching  their  exposed  point 
first,  made  a  sudden  attack,  in  which  the  rebels 
lost  heavily  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  one  entire 
brigade  was  taken  prisoners.  Their  whole  line 
wavered,  then  fled  in  disorder  to  the  fortifications 
at  Big  Black.  Our  army  lost  in  killed  and  wound- 
ed 2,500  men,  the  rebel  loss  being  about  the  same. 
The  enemy  was  pursued  until  dark,  and  on  the 
following  morning  the  army  advanced  and  found 
the  rebels  behind  their  works,  at  Black  River 
Bridge. 

The  enemy  had  already  been  defeated  on  four 
battle-fields  of  their  own  selection  ;  but  now  they 
were  behind  their  fortifications,  and  firmly  be- 
lieved they  could  not  be  driven  farther.  After 
some  brisk  skirmishing  the  troops  were  placed  in 
position.  Our  Division  occupied  the  extreme  left. 
When  the  command  was  given  for  the  assault,  the 
movement  was  executed  so  suddenly  that  our 
forces  were  in  the  enemy's  works  before  they  could 
realize  their  situation,  capturing  18  pieces  of  artil- 
lery and  1,800  prisoners.  The  rest  fled,  badly  de- 
moralized, to  Vicksburg.  During  the  day  we  found 
the  country  full  of  rebels,  who  had  been  separated 
from  their  commands  in  the  rout.  Our  Regiment 
captured  quite  a  number,  and  turned  them  over  to 
the  108th  Ills,  that  evening  at  Black  River  Bridge. 

We  camped  that  night  inside  the  fortifications. 
One  company  was  sent  on  picket  on  the  extreme 


84  HISTORY    OF    THE 

left  of  our  line.  The  two  armies  having  been  so 
near  each  other  since  the  15th,  the  foragers  did 
not  have  an  opportunity  to  collect  supplies  suffi- 
cient for  the  whole  army  ;  therefore  the  Regiment 
was  compelled  to  eat  parched  corn  for  breakfast 
the  next  morning. 

As  soon  as  the  pontoon  over  Black  river  was 
completed,  our  brigade  crossed  and  took  the  ad- 
vance of  the  army,  camping  that  evening  within 
seven  miles  of  Vicksburg.  On  all  sides  the  evi- 
dences of  the  complete  rout  and  panic  of  the  en- 
emy were  to  be  seen — abandoned  camps,  baggage, 
artillery  wagons,  ammunition,  and  arms  of  every 
description,  lined  the  road.  This  was  one  of  the 
most  exciting  periods  of  our  service  ;  fighting  by 
day  and  marching  at  night,  and  resting  only  when 
the  road  became  obstructed  with  troops  or  wagon- 
trains.  From  early  morning  until  late  at  night  the 
rattle  of  musketry  and  roar  of  artillery  was  heard, 
while  the  enemy  was  being  forced  back  from  every 
point.  But  the  romance  of  this  was  soon  to  pass 
away,  and  the  rather  monotonous  work  of  digging 
rifle-pits  and  building  fortifications  was  to  com- 
mence. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  85 


CHAPTER  XL 

SIEGE     OF     VICKSBURG. 

Assault  od  the  Nineteenth  —  Attack  on  the  Twentieth  — 
Charge  on  the  Twenty -Second  —  Our  Flag  on  the  Rebel 
Fort  —  Retreat  After  Night  —  Killed  and  Wounded  — 
Extract  from  Cincinnati  Commercial  —  Flag  of  Truce 
—  Burying  the  Dead  —  Picketing  and  Mining — Blow- 
ing Up  of  Fort  Hill — Surrender  of  Vicksburg,  July  4th. 

jN  the  morning  of  May  19th,  we  advanced 
M  again,  and  after  a  two  hours'  march,  over  a 
very  rugged  and  hilly  country,  we  came  in  sight 
of  Vicksburg,  which  is  built  on  a  series  of  high 
bluffs,  and  contained  10,000  inhabitants.  The  de- 
fenses of  the  city  consisted  of  a  chain  of  forts,  at 
intervals  of  800  yards,  for  a  distance  of  seven 
miles,  both  right  and  left,  resting  on  the  Mississip- 
pi river,  and  forming  a  semi-circle  around  the  city. 
The  rifle-pits  filled  the  intervals  between  the  forts. 
In  front  of  these  was  a  ditch  fifteen  feet  wide  and 
ten  feet  deep.  The  works  were  more  formidable 
than  we  expected  to  find  them,  showing  that  they 
were  fully  prepared  to  receive  us. 

As  soon  as  the  enemy  discovered  us  advancing 
over  the  hills,  they  opened  on  us  with  their  artil- 
lery Our  batteries  were  hurried  forward  into  po- 
sition, and  under  their  fire  we  advanced  a  short 


86  HISTORY    OF   THE 

distance  and  halted  in  a  ravine.  At  10  A.  M., 
Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  ordered  all  the  officers  of  the 
Regiment  to  report  at  his  headquarters.  On  ar- 
riving there,  he  told  them  to  inform  their  men 
that  at  2  o'clock  P,  M.  we  would  storm  the  rebel 
works.  The  news  was  received  by  the  Regiment 
in  a  quiet  and  serious  manner,  and  the  suspense 
until  2  o'clock  was  somewhat  like  that  of  the  cul- 
prit awaiting  the  hour  of  his  execution.  Promptly 
at  the  hour  the  signal-gun  was  fired,  and  the  order 
came,  "Forward,  48th  !"  We  started  up  the  hill, 
and  on  reaching  the  summit  we  were  greeted  with 
shot  and  shell  from  the  rebel  forts  ;  but  without 
faltering,  on  we  went,  down  into  the  next  ravine, 
through  brush  and  over  fallen  trees.  Arriving  at 
the  foot  of  a  hill,  we  continued  up  the  narrow  val- 
ley under  the  guns  of  the  fort,  and  drove  the  rebel 
outposts  into  their  fortifications,  when  a  halt  was 
ordered,  to  allow  the  troops  to  join  us  on  the  left. 
By  the  time  they  made  the  connection  the  sun 
was  setting  in  the  west.  Our  opportunity  for  tak- 
ing Vicksburg  that  day  had  passed,  and  we  biv- 
ouacked for  the  night. 

May  20th,  we  remained  there  until  3  P.  M., 
when  we  moved  to  the  left  of  our  Division.  On 
arriving  there,  we  were  ordered  across  an  open 
field  to  gain  a  strong  position  behind  a  bluff,  still 
nearer  to  the  rebel  works.  We  went  over  the  field 
on  double-quick,  one  company  at  a  time,  in  full 
range  of  their  artillery  and  infantry  fire.  The 
movement  was  very  successfully  executed,  and  our 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    1.  87 

loss  was  one  color-guard  mortally  wounded.  Ad- 
jutant McGill  made  a  narrow  escape,  with  a  ball 
through  his  cap.  From  this  position  we  returned 
the  enemy's  fire  with  considerable  effect.  At  9  P. 
M.  we  were  relieved  by  the  nth  Wisconsin,  and 
returned  to  the  rear. 

The  next  day,  May  21st,  was  employed  in  long- 
range  artillery  practice  and  maneuvering  for  ad- 
vantageous positions. 

May  2 2d,  orders  were  issued  for  a  general  as- 
sault along  the  lines  at  1 1  o'clock  A.  M.  The 
echo  of  the  signal-gun  had  scarcely  died  away, 
when  our  brigade  was  ordered  forward  to  take 
the  fort  in  our  front,  situated  on  a  hill,  in  an 
angle  of  their  intrench ments,  where  their  guns 
commanded  every  approach.  Down  the  ravine 
we  started  on  double-quick,  checking  our  speed 
for  a  moment  in  a  deep  gully,  to  reform  our  line 
before  facing  the  fort,  whose  incessant  fire  shook 
the  ground  at  every  discharge.  Then  on  we  went, 
up  the  hill,  through  the  brush  and  undergrowth, 
but  did  not  check  our  speed  until  the  right  of  the 
Regiment,  in  conjunction  with  the  left  of  the  77th 
Illinois,  reached  the  fort.  Leaping  into  the  ditch, 
and  climbing  the  parapet,  the  colors  of  the  48th 
Ohio  and  77th  Illinois  were  planted  on  the  fort. 
The  rebel  gunners  surrendered  and  were  hurried 
to  the  rear.  During  this  charge  Major  Moats  was 
mortally  wounded  in  the  knee. 

We  were  now  exposed  to  an  enfilading  fire  from 
the  right  and  left,  which  was  thinning  our  ranks  at 


88  HISTORY    OF   THE 

a  fearful  rate.  We  were  left  there  to  contend 
against  great  odds,  without  any  assistance  what- 
ever. At  4  P.  M.  the  rebels  massed  their  troops 
on  our  front,  and  attacked  us  with  great  fury,  and 
re-took  the  fort,  capturing  the  colors  and  fifty  men 
of  the  77th  Ills.  Ike  Carmin,  one  of  our  color- 
guards,  with  a  bayonet-wound  in  the  leg,  clung  to 
our  flag  and  saved  it  from  sharing  the  same  fate. 
This  was  the  signal  for  a  second  attack  on  both 
sides.  Another  charge  was  ordered  all  along  the 
line.  It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  see  our  troops  ad- 
vancing in  plain  view  over  the  hills,  to  our  assist- 
ance. But  as  soon  as  they  got  within  range  of 
the  rebel  fire,  they  were  mown  down  and  almost 
annihilated.  So  destructive  was  the  concentrated 
fire  of  the  enemy,  that  not  a  single  man  of  those 
sent  to  reinforce  us  reached  our  line.  In  the 
meantime,  a  few  spades  and  shovels  had  been 
brought  up,  with  which  the  Regiment  hastily  threw 
up  rude  entrenchments,  from  which  they  kept  up 
an  unceasing  fire  until  dark,  when  the  firing  ceased 
and  all  became  quiet.  We  remained  on  the  battle- 
field until  the  town  clock  in  Vicksburg  struck  the 
hour  of  10  P.  M.,  when  we  were  ordered  to  retreat, 
which  we  accomplished  without  being  discovered 
by  the  enemy.  Before  the  engagement  com- 
menced, stretcher-bearers  were  detailed  to  carry 
the  wounded  of  the  Regiment  off  the  battle-field. 
They  succeeded  in  removing  all  the  wounded  to 
the  rear. 

When  we  retreated  we  attempted  to  carry  off 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  89 

our  dead,  but  on  account  of  the  darkness  and  the 
rugged  nature  of  the  locality,  we  had  to  abandon 
the  undertaking,  and  leave  them  where  they  fell. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  Cincinnati 
Commercial,  of  June  ist,  1863  : 

"On  the  left,  Gen.  McClernand  commenced  the 
assault  earlier  than  any  other  commander.  The 
first  advance  was  made  by  McClernand's  center, 
Gen.  A.  J.  Smith's  Divison  of  two  brigades,  com- 
manded by  Col.  Landrum  and  Gen.  Burbridge. 
As  early  as  11  o'clock  Col.  Landrum's  men  took 
a  fort,  and  were  in  actual  possession  of  it.  Gen. 
Osterhouse,  on  their  left,  made  a  breach  in  the 
south  side  of  the  works,  with  his  artillery.  There 
were  two  companies  of  rebel  soldiers  in  it  at  the 
time.  One  of  them  ran  away,  and  the  other  act- 
ually burrowed  their  way  through  the  earth  to  our 
men  in  front,  and  surrendered  as  prisoners.  Lan- 
drum, on  obtaining  possession  of  the  fort,  put  a 
pioneer  force  at  work  to  throw  up  earth-works  in 
the  rear,  so  as  to  bring  the  guns  of  the  fort  to  bear 
upon  the  rebels.  In  constructing  the  fortifications, 
the  rebels  left  the  rear  of  all  the  forts  open,  to 
give  them  an  opportunity  to  assail  our  men,  in  the 
event  of  our  success  in  driving  them  out.  The 
flags  of  the  48th  Ohio,  77th  Illinois  and  19th  Ky 
floated  from  the  inner  slope  of  the  parapet  from 
half-past  n  A.  M.  till  4  P  M.  At  the  latter  hour 
the  rebels  were  seen  preparing  for  a  charge,  to 
re-take  the  fort.  An  entire  brigade  was  about  to 
be  pitted   against  a  few  companies.     Our  men  did 


9°  HISTORY    OF   THE 

not  receive  the  support  which  had  been  promised 
them,  and  were  compelled  to  fall  back,  leaving 
the  enemy  again  in  possession  of  the  fort.  The 
48th  Ohio  acquitted  itself  very  creditably  in  the 
affair.  The  conduct  of  its  officers  and  men  is 
highly  spoken  of.  I  enclose  a  list  of  the  casual- 
ties of  the  Regiment.     *     *     * 

"List  of  killed  and  wounded,  48th  Ohio  :  Lieut. 
Col.  Parker,  wounded  in  the  face  with  rifle-ball ; 
Maj.  V  H.  Moats,  wounded  in  leg  ;  Co.  A,  Serg't. 
John  Yost,  killed;  Alonzo  Smith,  killed;  Mahlon 
Davis,  killed  ;  David  Woosley,  wounded  danger- 
ously ;  Isaac  McPherson,  wounded  dangerously ; 
Isaac  Carmin,  wounded  severely ;  Co.  B,  John 
Cooper,  wounded  dangerously ;  Isaac  Scott, 
wounded  dangerously ;  Co.  C,  Serg't.  Charles 
Weber,  killed ;  Serg't.  J.  D.  Leonard,  wounded 
slightly ;  Corp.  Sam'l  Hair,  wounded  slightly ; 
George  Pfister,  wounded  severely ;  L.  A.  Wil- 
liams, wounded  mortally;  Co.  D,  Joseph  Balon, 
killed ;  Serg't.  John  Wilson,  wounded  slightly ; 
Co.  E,  Carl  Hough,  wounded  severely  ;  Henry 
Stitchter,  wounded  severely;  Co.  F,  Lewis 
Farris,  wounded  dangerously ;  John  Kead, 
wounded  severely  ;  Thos.  O'Borke,  wounded  se- 
verely ;  Co.  G,  Serg't.  James  Sweet,  killed  ;  Peter  A. 
Deler,  wounded  in  the  head  ;  Co.  H,  Jacob  David- 
son, wounded  severely ;  Co.  I,  Elliott  J.  Bich, 
killed  ;  John  W.  Hubbard, -killed  ;  Chris.  O.  Sroffe, 
killed ;  Co.  K,  Elias  Conover,  wounded  slightly  ; 
Henry  Knob,   wounded    slightly ;  W    A.  Chaffin, 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  9 1 

killed.     *     *     *     Total,   ten   killed   and    twenty- 
five  wounded.  MACK." 

The  work  entitled,  "The  Battles  for  the  Union," 
in  giving  an  account  of  that  charge,  says  : 

"The  colors  of  the  48th  Ohio  and  77th  Illinois 
were  placed  on  the  bastion,  and  within  the  next 
quarter  of  an  hour  the  brigade  of  Benton  and 
Burbridge,  fired  by  this  example,  had  carried 
the  ditch  of  another  strong  earthwork,  while  Capt. 
White,  of  the  Chicago  Mercantile  Battery,  car- 
ried forward  one  of  his  guns  by  hand  to  the  ditch, 
double  shotted  it  and  fired  into  the  embrasures." 

Gen.  Sherman,  in  his  "Memoirs,"  says  : 

"The  two  several  assaults  made  May  2 2d,  on 
the  lines  of  Vicksburg,  had  failed,  by  reason  of 
the  great  strength  of  the  position,  and  the 
determined  fighting  of  its  garrison.  I  have 
since  seen  the  position  of  Sevastopol,  and  without 
hesitation,  I  declare  that  at  Vicksburg  to  have 
been  the  more  difficult  of  the  two." 

May  23d,  we  occupied  our  old  camp,  and  but 
few  shots  were  exchanged  between  the  two  armies 
until  the  25th,  when  the  rebels  agreed  to  cease 
hostilities  for  two  hours  in  order  to  permit  us  to 
bury  our  dead  and  remove  our  wounded,  some  of 
whom  were  left  on  the  battle-field  where  they  fell. 
During  the  truce  we  proceeded  to  the  position  oc- 
cupied by  our  Regiment  during  the  assault.  The 
rebel  Colonel,  in  command  of  the  fort  on  which 
we  planted  our  flag  on  the  2 2d,  informed  Col. 
Parker    that    they   had    buried   all   the    dead   in 


92  HISTORY    OF   THE 

that  vicinity.  The  battle-field  presented  a  ghast- 
ly sight.  The  dead  lay  thick,  in  every  conceivable 
position,  on  the  hill-side  beneath  the  rebel  in- 
trenchments.  Some  of  the  wounded  were  still 
alive,  but  in  a  terrible  condition,  having  lain  be- 
tween the  contending  armies  for  three  days  with- 
out food,  water  or  medical  attention.  After  the 
burial  parties  had  performed  their  sad  task,  we 
withdrew  from  the  field,  and  the  firing  was  resumed 
on  both  sides. 

Our  army  lost  on  the  22d,  3,000  killed  and 
wounded,  and  nothing  accomplished.  Gen. 
Grant  became  convinced  by  this  time  that  Vicks- 
burg  was  too  strong  to  be  taken  by  assault,  and 
therefore  wisely  concluded  to  lay  a  regular  siege. 
The  troops  were  encamped  in  the  numerous 
ravines.  Our  Regiment  was  in  a  ravine  near  the 
R.  R.  bridge,  and  within  reach  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
but  the  hills  protected  us  from  their  direct  fire. 
Nevertheless,  slray  shots  were  too  numerous  to  be 
comfortable.  Several  men  were  wounded  in  their 
tents,  but  none  fatally  in  our  Regiment. 

Our  duty  was  to  dig  and  man  one  of  the  rifle- 
pits,  which  was  within  one  hundred  yards  of  one 
of  their  main  forts.  To  approach  these  rifle-pits, 
tunnels  were  made  through  the  hills,  thus  con- 
necting the  ravines.  The  details  for  pickets  and 
for  digging  rifle-pits,  were  always  sent  to  their 
posts  and  relieved  very  quietly  during  the  night. 
In  some  places  we  succeeded  in  digging  the  rifle- 
pits  to  within  a  few  feet    of  their  fort,  being   pro- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  93 

tected  from  their  musketry  by  large  bundles  of 
cane,  that  were  kept  in  front  while  approaching, 
the  enemy  in  the  meantime  trying  to  get  posses- 
sion of  the  cane  by  means  of  hooks  attached  to 
long  poles,  or  destroying  them  by  throwing  tur- 
pentine-balls and  setting  them  on  fire,  while  our 
men  in  return  would  annoy  them  by  throwing 
hand  grenades  and  short-fuse  shells  into  their  fort, 
which  usually  elicited  quite  a  spirited  conversa- 
tion between  the  combatants. 

June  3d,  Lieut.-Col.  J.  R.  Parker,  having  re- 
ceived a  leave  of  absence,  went  home,  leaving 
Capt.  Lindsey  in  command  of  the  Regiment. — 
Shortly  after,  Col.  Sullivan  arrived  and  took  com- 
mand. June  22d,  Lieut.  J.  H.  Allison,  A.  D.  C.  on 
the  staff  of  Col.  Landrum,  being  sick,  Lieut.  Mont- 
gomery was  detailed  to  take  his  place  during  the 
siege.  On  the  25th,  Capt.  F.  M.  Posegate,  of  Co.  D, 
resigned. 

Gen.  McPherson,  who  had  been  undermining 
Fort  Hill,  had  completed  it  by  the  25th,  and  was 
then  ready  to  blow  up  the  fort.  The  troops  were 
therefore  placed  in  the  advance  rifle-pits,  ready  to 
rush  into  the  breach  and  capture  Vicksburg,  should 
he  be  successful  in  blowing  it  up  ;  but  the  explo- 
sion did  not  result  in  destroying  the  works  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  enable  the  troops  to  enter.  After 
the  explosion,  we  were  ordered  back  to  our  camp. 

Our  duties  were  getting  more  arduous  every 
day,  besides  being  continually  under  fire,  until 
July  3d,  when  Gen.  Pemberton  sent  Gen.  Bowen 


94  HISTORY    OF    THE 

and  Col.  Montgomery,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  with 
a  proposition  for  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg.  They 
were  taken,  with  their  eyes  bandaged,  to  our  bri- 
gade headquarters,  and  had  a  consultation  with 
Gen.  Grant,  but  he  would  not  consent  to  anything 
but  an  unconditional  surrender.  Nevertheless,  he 
agreed  to  hold  a  conference  with  Gen.  Pemberton, 
to  discuss  the  matter.  Accordingly,  they  met  un- 
der a  tree,  between  the  two  armies,  who  had  now 
ceased  firing  and  were  watching  with  great  interest 
the  movements  of  the  Generals.  The  last  proposi- 
tion made  by  Gen.  Grant  was,  that  they  should  be 
paroled,  the  officers  permitted  to  retain  their  side- 
arms  and  private  property,  and  to  stack  their  arms 
outside  the  fortifications.  Gen.  Pemberton  with- 
drew to  consult  with  his  officers,  and  Gen.  Grant 
issued  an  order  to  the  troops  "that  the  armistice 
should  continue  in  force  until  8  A.  M.,  July  4th; 
then,  if  the  enemy  did  not  accept  his  terms,  hos- 
tilities would  be  resumed."  But  on  the  morning 
of  July  4th,  before  the  time  expired,  they  raised 
the  white  flag,  and  Vicksburg,  after  a  campaign  of 
over  six  months,  and  a  siege  of  forty-eight  days, 
with  its  immense  fortifications,  arms,  munitions, 
and  37,000  prisoners,  was  ours.  The  entire  rebel 
loss  during  the  Vicksburg  campaign  in  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  according  to  "  Badeau," 
was  56,000. 

The  following  vivid  description  of  Vicksburg 
during  the  siege,  is  from  the  work,  "  The  Battles 
for  the  Union  :  " 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  95 

"  Every  day  further  progress  was  made  in  dig- 
ging and  mining,  and  at  length  a  point  was  reached 
where  the  batteries  could  send  their  screaming  shells 
directly  to  the  heart  of  the  city.  A  reign  of  terror 
took  possession  of  the  town,  and  its  inhabitants 
dug  themselves  caves  in  the  earth,  seeking  protec- 
tion against  the  missiles  of  destruction  which  daily 
and  nightly  dropped  in  their  midst.  Such  can- 
noriading  and  shelling  has  perhaps  scarcely  been 
equaled.  It  was  not  safe  from' behind  or  before, 
and  every  part  of  the  city  was  alike  within  range 
of  the  Federal  guns.     *     *     * 

"  Porter's  gun-boats,  with  thirteen-inch  mortars 
and  one-hundred-pound  Parrott  guns,  safely  an- 
chored under  the  high  bank  below  Vicksburg,  sen- 
tineled the  river  above  and  below.  A  three-gun 
battery,  on  the  peninsula  opposite,  played  havoc 
with  the  Confederate  garrison,  burning  up  their 
shot-and-shell  foundry.  While  the  enemy's  forts 
were  being  mined,  counter-mines  were  dug  by 
them,  and  the  sound  of  their  picks  could  be  heard 
through  the  thin  wall  of  earth  which  separated  the 
hostile  armies. 

"  For  six  weeks  our  batteries  never  ceased  drop- 
ping their  shot  and  shell  on  the  doomed  city. 
Food  became  scarce,  and  the  inhabitants  grew 
wan  and  thin  in  their  narrow  dens.  At  last,  de- 
spairing of  Johnston's  aid  in  raising  the  siege,  and 
believing  that  Grant  was  ready  for  another  assault 
on  his  works,  they  hung  out  the  white  flag  in  front 
of  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith's  Division." 


96  HISTORY   OF   THE 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Marching  Orders  for  Jackson  —  Excessive  Heat  —  Siege 
of  Jackson  —  Gen.  Johnston  Evacuates  —  Return  to 
Vicksburg  —  Furloughs  —  Col.  P.  J.  Sullivan  Resigns 
—  Steamer  "City  of  Madison"  Blown  Up  —  Embarking 
for  New  Orleans  —  Camp  at  Carrollton  —  Grand  Re- 
view by  Gens.  Grant  and  Banks  —  Extract  from  New 
Orleans  Era. 

IE  had  scarcely  time  that  day  to  give  vent  to 
our  joy  at  the  surrender,  before  we  were  or- 
dered to  march  in  pursuit  of  Gen.  Johnston,  who 
was  collecting  quite  an  army  at  Jackson,  Miss. 

At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  July  5th,  we 
were  on  the  march,  and  continued  from  day  to 
day,  under  a  sweltering  July  sun,  until  the  10th, 
when  we  reached  the  fortifications  around  Jack- 
son. Our  Regiment  was  then  deployed  as  skir- 
mishers, and  advanced  through  the  timber  and 
bivouacked  for  the  night.  The  following  day  we 
were  ordered  to  the  right,  in  support  of  the  first 
brigade,  where  we  remained  during  the  siege, 
principally  engaged  in  picket  duty.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  17th,  we  discovered  that  Gen.  Johnston, 
after  destroying  his  stores,  had  evacuated  the  pre- 
ceding night.  The  loss  of  our  Corps  (13th)  in 
killed  and  wounded  was  760. 

Gen.   Sherman,   who   was  in    command  of  the 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  97 

troops  sent   against   Gen.  Joe  Johnston,  gives  the 
following  account  of  the  Jackson  campaign  : 

"  July  4th,  Vicksburg  surrendered,  and  orders 
were  given  for  at  once  attacking  Gen.  Johnston. 
The  13th  Corps  (Gen.  Ord)  was  ordered  to 
march  rapidly  and  cross  the  Big  Black  at  the  rail- 
road bridge,  the  15th  by  Messinger's,  and  the  9th 
(Gen.  Parkes')  by  Birdsong's  Ferry ;  all  to  con- 
verge on  Bolton.  My  corps  crossed  the  Big  Black 
during  the  5  th  and  6th  of  July,  and  marched  for 
Bolton,  where  we  came  in  with  Gen.  Ord's  troops, 
but  the  9th  Corps  was  delayed  in  crossing  at  Bird- 
song's.  Johnston  had  received  timely  notice  of 
Pemberton's  surrender,  and  was  in  full  retreat  for 
Jackson.  On  the  8th,  all  our  troops  reached  the 
neighborhood  of  Clinton,  the  weather  fearfully 
hot,  and  water  scarce.  Johnston  had  marched 
rapidly,  and  in  retreating  had  caused  cattle,  hogs 
and  sheep  to  be  driven  into  the  ponds  of  water, 
and  there  shot  down,  so  that  we  had  to  haul  their 
dead  carcases  out  to  use  the  water.  On  the  10th 
of  July  we  had  driven  the  rebel  army  into  Jackson, 
where  it  turned  at  bay  behind  the  intrench- 
ments,  which  had  been  enlarged  and  strengthened 
since  our  former  visit  in  May.  We  closed  our 
lines  about  Jackson;  my  corps  (15th)  held  the 
center,  extending  from  the  Clinton  to  the  Ray- 
mond road  ;  Ord's  (13th)  on  the  right,  reaching 
Pearl  River  below  the  town;  and  Parkes'  (9th) 
the  left,  above  the  town.  On  the  nth  we  pressed 
close  in  and  shelled  the  town  from  every  direction. 


98  HISTORY    OF   THE 

"  One  of  Ord's  brigades  (Lauman's)  got  too 
close,  and  was  very  roughly  handled  and  driven 
back  in  disorder.  Gen.  Ord  accused  the  com- 
mander (Gen.  Lauman)  of  having  disregarded  his 
orders,  and  attributed  to  him  personally  the  disas- 
ter and  heavy  loss  of  men.  He  requested  his  re- 
lief, which  I  granted,  and  Gen.  Lauman  went  to 
the  rear,  and  never  regained  his  division.     *     *    * 

"The  weather  was  fearfully  hot,  but  we  contin- 
ued to  press  the  siege  day  and  night,  using  our  ar- 
tillery pretty  freely,  and  on  the  morning  of  July 
17th,  the  place  was  found  evacuated.  Gen.  Steele's 
division  was  sent  in  pursuit  as  far  as  Brandon, 
(fourteen  miles),  but  Gen.  Johnston  had  carried 
his  army  safely  off,  and  pursuit  in  that  hot  weather 
would  have  been  fatal  to  my  command.  Report- 
ing the  fact  to  Gen.  Grant,  he  ordered  me  to  re- 
turn, to  send  Gen.  Parkes'  corps  to  Haines' 
Bluff,  Gen.  Ord's  back  to  Vicksburg,  and  he  con- 
sented that  I  should  encamp  my  whole  corps  near 
the  Big  Black,  pretty  much  on  the  same  ground 
we  had  occupied  before  the  movement,  and  with 
the  prospect  of  a  period  of  rest  for  the  remainder 
of  the  summer.  We  reached  our  camps  on  the 
27th  of  July." 

On  the  21st,  we  were  ordered  back  to  Vicksburg. 
We  arrived  at  our  old  camp  during  the  night  of  the 
23d.  The  following  day  we  marched  through 
Vicksburg  and  camped  one  mile  below,  on  the 
Mississippi  river.  Here  we  received  our  tents, 
having   slept   in    the    open    air,    exposed    to    the 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  99 

changeable  weather,  since  April,  which,  together 
with  short  rations,  being  at  times  compelled  to 
subsist  on  green  corn  alone,  caused  considerable 
sickness  in  the  Regiment. 

July  25th,  we  received  notice  that  Major  Moats 
had  died  on  the  nth  inst,  from  the  effects  of  the 
wound  received  at  the  charge  of  the  22d  of  May. 
He  was  a  brave,  faithful  and  unassuming  officer, 
and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  whole  Regi- 
ment. 

We  now  resumed  our  daily  routine  of  camp 
duty,  that  had  been  interrupted  during  the  siege, 
which,  after  reveille,  at  daylight,  consisted  in  at- 
tending roll-call ;  then  followed  guard-mounting 
and  sick-call  ;  after  this,  company  drill  until  u 
A.  M.  In  the  afternoon  we  had  battalion  or  bri- 
gade drill,  and  occasionally  a  "  grand  review," 
closing  the  day's  exercises  with  dress-parade  at 
sun-down,  tattoo  by  the  band  at  9  o'clock,  and 
"taps"  at  10  P.  M.,  when  the  guards  ordered  "lights 
out."  Soon  after,  the  Regiment  was  wrapped  in 
slumber,  as  peaceful  as  though  there  was  no  war 
devastating  the  land.  Thus  the  days  slowly  passed, 
while  we  lay  broiling  in  the  hot  sun,  in  an  open 
field,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 

After  the  siege,  the  Regiment  received  the  En- 
field Rifle  in  exchange  for  the  old  Austrian,  which 
was  a  much  better  weapon  for  service,  and  we 
were  well  pleased  with  the  change. 

From  one  of  the  letters  written  home  in  August, 
1863,  we  take  the  following  : 


IOO  HISTORY    OF   THE 

"Yesterday  I  concluded  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
Yazoo  Swamps,  where  our  army  was  during  the  un- 
successful attack  on  Vicksburg  last  December. 
Accordingly,  after  breakfast,  I  mounted  my  charg- 
er, and  in  an  hour's  ride  I  passed  through  Vicks- 
burg and  by  all  the  upper  river  batteries.  From 
there  I  descended  into  the  valley,  which  we  occu- 
pied last  winter.  After  a  careful  survey  of  the 
ground  which  the  rebels  occupied,  and  that  which 
was  held  by  us,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  their  position  was  as  near  impregnable  as  art 
and  nature  could  make  it.  The  swamps  are  as 
silent  and  dismal-looking  as  ever.  The  valley  is 
covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  timber,  under- 
brush and  creeping  vines.  The  limbs  of  the  trees 
are  covered  with  gray  Spanish  moss,  that  hangs  in 
different  lengths  from  every  twig.  It  is  this  that 
gives  it  the  air  of  solemnity,  more  than  anything 
else.  Add  to  this  the  rattle  of  musketry,  the 
booming  of  cannon,  a  heavy  rain,  and  then  under 
cover  of  darkness  to  get  out  on  double-quick,  and 
leave  on  the  boats  for  the  Mississippi  river,  and 
last,  but  not  least,  to  have  it  said  that  you  are 
whipped,  that  Vicksburg  canU  be  taken,  then  per- 
haps you  can  form  a  faint  idea  how  we  felt  while 
going  up  the  river,  and  why  it  was  called  '  The 
Valley  of  Death.' 

"  In  one  of  my  letters  at  that  time  I  spoke  of  a 
solitary  sentinel,  who  was  standing  guard  before  a 
battery  of  four  siege-guns.  That  battery  is  still 
there,  and  a  splendid  one  it  is,  but  Mr.  Reb.  is 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  IOI 

missing.  In  his  stead  are  two  blue-coats,  who,  I 
think,  will  attend  to  the  guns  for  some  time  to 
come.  After  a  minute  inspection  of  every  ditch 
and  battery  on  my  route,  I  returned  to  camp, 
where  I  arrived  in  the  afternoon,  with  my  mind 
stored  with  zigzag  ditches,  breastworks,  fortifica- 
tions and  numerous  war  implements." 

While  here,  orders  were  given  to  issue  thirty 
days'  furlough  to  two  men  of  each  company;  and  all 
officers  in  excess  of  one  to  each  company  were 
granted  thirty  days  leave  of  absence.  Col.  Sulli- 
van, who  had  resigned  on  account  of  disability, 
produced  by  his  wound  received  at  Shiloh,  in  an 
appropriate  speech  bade  the  Regiment  farewell, 
and  left  for  home,  August  9th,  which  left  Capt. 
J.  A.  Bering  in  command.  Lieut.  Kobt.  McGill 
having  also  resigned,  Lieut.  R.  A.  South  was  ap- 
pointed Adjutant,  to  fill  the  vacancy.  On  the  12th 
of  August,  Gen.  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  who  had  superseded 
Gen.  McClernand  in  command  of  the  13th  Army 
Corps  during  the  siege,  was  ordered  to  transfer  his 
Corps  to  New  Orleans,  which  severed  our  connec- 
tion with  the  old  "Army  of  the  Tennessee,"  in 
which  we  had  served  since  March  6th,  1862. 

By  this  time,  quite  a  number  who  had  been  ab- 
sent for  various  causes,  rejoined  the  Regiment. 
On  the  19th,  a  detail  of  twenty  men  from  the  bri- 
gade was  sent  to  load  the  steamer  "City  of  Madi- 
son" with  ammunition  for  our  Corps,  but  a  shell 
exploding,  ignited  the  ammunition  and  blew  the 
boat  to  atoms,  killing  and  wounding  quite  a  num- 


102  HISTORY    OF    THE 

ber,  among  the  latter  M.  J.  Grady,  of  Company  A. 
The  remainder  of  our  Regiment  escaped  without 
injury. 

A  second  detail  was  made,  to  load  another 
steamer  with  the  ammunition,  which  was  put  in 
charge  of  Lieut.  Montgomery,  who,  after  loading 
the  boat,  arrived  with  it  at  Carrollton,   Aug.  31st. 

On  the  25th  of  August,  the  Regiment  embarked 
for  New  Orleans  on  the  steamer  "Atlantic,"  with 
the  77th  Ills,  and  Chicago  Mercantile  Battery,  and 
arrived  at  Carrollton,  five  miles  above  New  Or- 
leans, on  the  27th,  and  with  the  Division,  in  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Burbridge,  encamped  in  the  old 
rebel  camp  "  De  Mar."  Sept.  1st,  Capt.  Tice  ar- 
rived and  took  command  of  the  Regiment. 

On  the  9th,  we  moved  our  camp  to,  Greenville 
Station,  on  the  Carrollton  &  New  Orleans  R.  R., 
in  a  beautiful  grove  of  pecan  trees.  New  Orleans 
had  always  been  a  city  of  great  note  for  pleasure- 
seekers,  and  the  war  had  made  but  little  change  in 
that  respect.  Therefore,  as  soon  as  we  arrived  at 
the  Crescent  City,  enjoyment  was  the  order  of  the 
day.  During  our  stay,  excursion  parties  were  made 
up  to  visit  the  most  notable  places.  This,  with 
the  very  light  duties  required  of  us,  made  it  one 
of  the  most  pleasant  periods  of  our  service. 

To  the  Northern  soldier,  New  Orleans  was 
very  attractive,  as  it  resembled  more  a  foreign 
than  an  American  city.  The  houses,  especially 
in  the  suburbs,  occupy  a  position  back  from 
the  streets,  in  front  of  which  are  shrubbery  and 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  IO3 

flowers.  These,  with  the  indispensable  veranda, 
give  the  dwellings  a  cool  and  inviting  look.  The 
inhabitants,  who  are  of  French  and  Spanish  de- 
scent, interest  the  stranger  with  their  peculiar  man- 
ners and  customs. 

The  French  market,  oh  a  Sunday  morning,  is  an 
interesting  scene.  It  is  open  until  noon,  and  is 
thronged  with  customers.  The  stores  are  open 
until  1 1  A.  M.,  when  they  close  for  the  Sabbath, 
the  observance  of  which  consists  principally  in 
promenading  on  Canal  street,  which  is  said  to  be 
the  finest  street  in  America.  It  is  very  wide,  and 
in  the  center  runs  a  street  railroad,  on  each  side 
of  which  are  beautiful  shade  trees,  which  form 
a  complete  arch  over  the  track. 

Cellars  and  wells  are  out  of  the  question  in  this 
low,  marshy  soil,  where  water  is  found  but  a  few 
feet  from  the  surface.  In  fact,  the  city  is  lower 
than  the  Mississippi  river  at  high  water,  and  is 
only  prevented  from  being  overflowed  by  the 
levee.  For  the  same  reason  the  dead  are  buried 
in  vaults,  built  above  the  ground.  The  principal 
cemetery  is  on  the  Shell  Road,  half-way  between 
the  city  and  Lake  Ponchartrain.  The  Lake  is  a 
great  public  resort,  for  boating  and  fishing. 

The  old  battle-field,  below  the  city,  received  its 
full  share  of  visitors.  Here  Gen.  Jackson,  on  the 
8th  of  January,  1812,  with  4,000  raw  recruits,  de- 
feated 12,000  British  veterans,  with  a  loss  of  only 
five  men,  while  the  British  lost  seven  hundred. 
The  most  curious   feature  was,  that  it  was  fought 


104  HISTORY   OF   THE 

after  peace  had  been  declared,  but  the  combat- 
ants had  not  received  the  news.  This  was  before 
railroads,  steamers  or  the  telegraph. 

Gen.  Grant  having  arrived,  a  "grand  review" 
was  ordered  to  take  place  on  the  4th  of  Septem- 
ber. The  following  is  an  editorial,  taken  from  the 
New  Orleans  Era,  giving  an  account  of  the  re- 
view, in  which  the  48th  Ohio  took  part : 

[New  Orleans  Era,  Saturday,  Sept.  5,  1863.] 
"the  review  yesterday 
"According  to  announcement  in  the  city  pa- 
pers, the  troops  under  command  of  Maj.  Gen. 
Washburn,  now  stationed  at  '  Champ  de  Mars,' 
near  Carrollton,  were  reviewed  by  Gens.  Banks  and 
Grant,  at  an  early  hour  yesterday  morning.  The 
review  was  a  most  imposing  sight,  and  one  to  be 
long  remembered.  The  men  under  review  were 
war-scarred  veterans,  who  left  the  pleasant  scenes 
of  their  homes  in  every  part  of  the  Union,  to 
'  hew  their  way  to  the  Gulf  with  their,  swords.' 
Every  division,  brigade  and  regiment,  as  it  filed 
past  the  two  Generals,  surrounded  by  their  staffs, 
showed  the  results  of  careful  and  skillful  training, 
while  the  animation  that  gleamed  from  the 
bronzed  faces  of  these  veterans,  gave  evidence 
that  they  were  conscious  of  the  distinguished 
presence  in  which  they  were  marching.  In  the 
array  of  officers  and  men  who  met  together  on 
the  '  Champ  de  Mars,'  the  citizens  of  New  Or- 
leans could  behold  a  portion  of  the  deliverers  of 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 05 

the  Mississippi  river.  The  opening  of  the  great 
inland  sea  required  great  men  and  stout  soldiers  ; 
and  to  the  credit  of  our  country  let  it  be  said,  the 
right  men  were  found  for  the  work.     *     *     * 

"The  review  was  what  might  be  reasonably  ex- 
pected from  the  tried  troops,  in  the  presence  of 
the  two  distinguished  Generals.  The  division, 
brigade  and  regimental  officers  handled  their 
men  with  more  precision  than  might  have  been 
witnessed  on  the  same  field  two  years  ago,  when 
an  attempt  was  made  by  one  or  two  Louisiana 
militia  Generals  to  review  raw  recruits,  who  had 
never  seen  even  a  skirmish,  and  many  of  whom 
are  still  innocent  of  the  blood  of  the  soldiers  of 
the  army  of  the  United  States. 

"The  heat  of  the  day  was  so  intense,  that  many 
of  the  old  citizens  of  New  Orleans  were  glad  to 
retire  to  some  friendly  shade  ;  and  yet  the  troops 
showed  no  signs  of  distress,  nor  even  inconven- 
ience. Such  is  the  result  of  being  inured  to  expos- 
ure. The  men,  coming  from  a  northern  climate, 
endure  a  heat  which  even  an  acclimated  person 
avoids.  A  heartier  or  more  robust  set  of  men 
probably  never  passed  in  review  under  the  critical 
eyes  of  Generals,  who  have  performed  great  deeds, 
and  who  have  more  yet  to  do. 

"It  was  apparent  to  the  most  superficial  ob- 
server, that  the  parade  was  no  training-day  dis- 
play. The  two  Generals,  their  respective  staffs,  the 
general  field  and  regimental  officers,  and  the  men 
themselves,  had  the   bearing  of  the   true  soldier, 


106  HISTORY   OF   THE 

and  the  tout  ensemble  was  suggestive  of  genius,  dis- 
cipline and  backbone.  *  *  *  They  have  dem- 
onstrated that  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail  for 
those  who  are  determined  to  succeed.  It  was  a 
proud  privilege  to  stand  on  that  animated  field 
yesterday,  and  say, '  These  are  American  Generals 
and  American  troops,  whose  deeds  are  about  to 
be  enrolled  on  the  scroll  of  immortal  fame,  and 
America  is  my  country.'  The  traitor  to  our 
flag  even,  must  have  rejoiced  that  his  pseudo- 
friends  had  been  overcome  by  men  who  have  shown 
such  bravery  in  arms,  and  such  mercy  and  moder- 
ation in  victory." 

Sept.  20th,  Capt.  Tice  having  resigned,  Capt. 
Bering  resumed  command  of  the  Regiment. 
With  Capt.  Tice  we  sent  our  old,  tattered  battle- 
flag  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  to  be  placed  in  the  flag- 
room  at  the  State  House.  After  he  arrived  in 
Cincinnati  he  put  it  on  exhibition  in  WiswelPs 
show-window  on  Fourth  street,  but  it  has  never 
been  seen  or  heard  of  since. 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.   I.  IO7 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Ordered  to  Western  Louisiana  —  Berwick  City  —  Teche 
Country  —  Franklin  —  Orange  Groves  —  Election  for 
Governor  of  Ohio  —  Guarding  Steamers  on  the  Teche  — 
Surprise  of  the  First  Brigade  —  New  Iberia  —  Foraging 
—  Protection  Papers. 

gjUR  pleasant  times  were  fast  drawing  to  a  close. 
Oct.  1st,  we  received  two  months'  pay  and 
were  ordered  on  a  campaign  in  Western  Louisiana. 
On  the  3d  we  embarked  on  the  steamer  "North 
America"  and  landed  at  Algiers,  opposite  New 
Orleans,  where  we  took  a  night-train  for  Brashear 
City,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  at  which  place 
we  arrived  the  following  morning.  We  crossed 
the  bay  on  a  ferry  boat  and  camped  at  Berwick 
City.  On  the  7th,  the  brigade  advanced  up 
through  the  Teche  country,  passing  through 
Franklin,  and  camped  near  New  Iberia,  on  the 
9th,  when  our  Regiment,  with  the  19th  Ky.,  77th 
Ills,  and  Chicago  Mercantile  Battery,  were  or- 
dered back  to  Franklin,  to  garrison  the  place. 
We  arrived  there  the  nth,  and  camped  in  the  sub- 
urbs, Col.  Landrum,  with  his  staff,  being  camped 
near  by,  on  the  banks  of  the  Teche.  Co.  A,  in 
command  of  Capt.  Cyrus  Hussey,  were  detailed  as 
provost-guards,  and  were   quartered  in  the   town. 


108  HISTORY   OF   THE 

We  were  now  stationed  in  the  garden-spot  of 
Louisiana,  and  Franklin  was  one  of  its  prettiest 
towns.  Of  this  region,  Longfellow,  in  his  poem, 
"  Evangeline,"  says  : 

"  On  the  banks  of  the  Teche  are  the  towns  of  St.  Mauer  and  St. 
Martin. 

There  the  long-wandering  bride  shall  be  given  to  the  bride- 
groom, 

There  the  long-absent  pastor  regain  his  flock  and  his  sheep- 
fold. 

Beautiful  is  the  land,  with  its  prairies  and  forests  of  fruit  trees. 

Under  the  feet  a  garden  of  flowers,  and  the    bluest  of   heavens 

Bending  above,  and  resting  its  dome  on  the  walls  of  the  forest. 

They  who  dwell  there  have  named  it  the  Eden  of  Louisiana. 
*  ««*#«  #«* 

All  the  year  round  the  orange-groves  are  in  blossom  ;  and  grass 
grows 

More  in  a  single  night  than  in  a  whole  Canadian  summer." 

It  was  early  fall,  and  the  weather  delightful. 
No  one  who  ever  saw  such  an  autumn  could  ever 
forget  it.  The  dreamy  atmosphere,,  drooping  in 
the  mellow  haze  of  the  mild  Indian  summer,  al- 
most made  this  lovely  region  a  fairy  land.  The 
white  cabins  of  the  slaves  were  in  long  rows,  like 
villages.  Near  by  stood  the  elegant  mansions  of 
the  wealthy  planters,  with  broad  verandas  encir- 
cling the  entire  building.  The  orange  groves, 
with  their  tropical  fruit,  were  in  the  height  of  their 
perfection,  of  which  a  prominent  writer  gives  the 
following  description:  "It  is  a  beautiful  sight  to 
wander  through  these  natural  groves,  watching  the 
beautiful  globes  of  gold  peeping  on  all  sides  from 
the  bright  green  foliage,  bending  low  the  branches 
with  their  weight,  and  exhaling  a  fragrance  at  once 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  109 

delicious  and  powerful.  The  fruit  clings  with  a 
great  deal  of  tenacity  for  a  long  time  after  it  has 
ripened  ;  but  during  the  winter  and  early  spring 
it  mostly  falls,  though  the  new  blossoms,  with  their 
charming  fragrance  and  pure  whiteness,  and  young 
oranges,  maybe  seen  while  the  fruit  still  remains." 

But  the  marching  and  counter-marching  of  the 
contending  armies  were  leaving  their  marks  be- 
hind. The  old  plantations,  with  their  stately  man- 
sions, were  going  to  decay ;  fences,  gates  and  or- 
naments of  all  kinds  were  fast  disappearing  ;  but 
such  is  war. 

Oct.  13th,  the  election  for  Governor  of  Ohio 
took  place  in  the  Regiment.  Gov.  Brough 
received  241  votes,  and  Vallandigham  28.  Those 
that  were  absent  on  picket  and  fatigue  duty  did 
not  get  to  vote. 

While  stationed  at  Franklin  very  strict  disci- 
pline was  enforced,  and  no  foraging  whatever  was 
allowed,  but  nevertheless  some  members  of  the 
Regiment  would  venture  beyond  the  picket-lines 
and  gather  up  what  poultry  and  other  provisions 
they  could  find,  and  bring  them  into  camp  before 
daylight. 

Our  principal  duty  while  stationed  here,  was  to 
furnish  guards  for  the  steamboats  that  took  the 
supplies  up  Bayou  Teche  to  the  army,  encamped 
at  New  Iberia.  The  duty  was  of  a  very  pleasant 
nature,  more  especially  as  the  enemy  did  not 
molest  us. 

Oct.  23d,  Lieut.  Col.    Lindsey  arrived   and  took 


IIO  HISTORY    OF   THE 

command  of  the  Regiment.  The  first  brigade  of 
our  Division,  while  encamped  in  advance  of  the 
main  army  at  New  Iberia,  was  surprised  Nov.  3d 
by  the  enemy,  just  as  the  paymaster  was  paying 
the  troops.  Nearly  half  of  the  brigade  was  cap- 
tured. The  paymaster,  with  his  funds,  barely  es- 
caped by  timely  flight  in  an  ambulance,  driven  by 
Jonathan  Pratt,  of  the  Pioneer  Corps. 

On  account  of  this  surprise,  the  false  alarms 
were  numerous,  which  compelled  us  to  be  in  line 
of  battle  at  4  o'clock  every  morning. 

Nov.  1  ith,  we  were  ordered  to  New  Iberia,  where 
we  arrived  the  following  day,  and  camped  inside 
of  the  fortifications.  Although  the  movements  of 
the  army  were  very  mysterious,  and  no  one  could 
tell  where  he  would  be  the  next  day,  yet  as  soon 
as  the  arms  were  stacked,  the  Regiment  went  to 
work  building  quarters,  as  if  they  were  going  to  re- 
main there  permanently.  Cabins  were  erected  out 
of  old  boards  gathered  up,  fire-places  built,  bunks 
and  bedsteads  constructed,  streets  were  laid  out  in 
regular  order,  which  was  repeated  at  every  camp, 
excepting  when  on  the  march.  When  the  cabins 
were  completed,  the  next  thing  in  order  was  to 
explore  every  wood,  field  and  ravine,  and  in  a 
single  day  the  soldiers  familiarized  themselves 
with  the  surrounding  country. 

Nov.  25th,  Capt.  Bering,  in  command  of  50  men 
of  the  Regiment,  took  charge  of  240  teams,  and 
proceeded  8  miles  southwest  of  New  Iberia,  to 
procure  forage  for  the    army.     The    prairie    was 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  Ill 

dotted  with  rich  plantations,  and  corn  and  fodder 
was  found  in  abundance.  After  the  pickets  were 
posted,  to  guard  against  a  surprise,  the  teams  were 
loaded ;  after  which  they  returned  to  camp,  ar- 
riving there  late  that  evening.  The  planters  tried 
in  every  possible  way  to  get  exempted  from  fur- 
nishing supplies  to  our  army.  They  would  exhib- 
it what  they  termed  "Protection  Papers,"  claiming 
to  be  foreigners.  Among  the  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Grand  Coteau,  a  short  time  previous,  a  number 
were  found  with  these  papers  in  their  pockets, 
which  gave  rise  to  the  song,  founded  on  that  bat- 
tle, commencing  : 

"  'Twas  on  the  morn  of  November  third, 

The  rebels  thought  they'd  cage  the  bird, 

****** 

With  'Protection  Papers'  in  their  pocket, 
They  pounced  upon  us  like  a  rocket." 

And  the  general  verdict  was  then,  that  "Protec- 
tion Papers  "  had  "  played  out,"  for  they  were  gen- 
erally obtained  for  the  purpose  of  taking  advan- 
tage of  our  army. 

Dec.  6th,  Lieut.  Col.  Lindsey  and  ten  sergeants 
started  for  Ohio,  to  obtain  recruits,  which  left  the 
Regiment  again  in  command  of  Capt.  Bering. 


112  HISTORY    OF    THE 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Ordered  to  New  Orleans — Embarking  for  Texas  —  Trip 
Across  the  Gulf  —  De  Crow's  Point  —  Dog-Tents —  Dis- 
tributing the  Amnesty  Proclamation  —  Planting  the 
Flag  in  Texas  —  Skirmish  Drill  — Fishing  and  Gather- 
ing Shells  —  Short  Kations  —  Cold  New  Year  —  Veterans 
—  Ordered  on  Board  a  Condemned  Vessel — Return  to 
New  Orleans — Re-enlisting — Veteran  Medals  —  Pro- 
motions. 


ill 


gECEMBER  7th,  we  received  orders  to  pro- 
ceed to  New  Orleans.  We  left  that  day  and 
arrived  at  Berwick  the  ioth,  crossed  the  Bay  at  2 
A.  M.  the  next  day,  and  reached  Algiers  by  rail  at 
noon.  Here  we  learned  that  our  Division  was  on 
its  way  to  Texas  by  way  of  the  Gulf. 

On  the  13th,  the  48th,  with  the  130th  Illinois, 
embarked  on  the  steamer  "Continental"  for  Mata- 
gorda Bay,  Texas.  The  passage  down  the  river 
from  New  Orleans  to  the  Gulf  was  delightful.  On 
either  side  could  be  seen  broad  plantations,  with 
their  elegant  residences,  surrounded  by  orange 
groves,  the  homes  of  the  wealthy  planters.  The 
weather  was  delightful.  The  sun  was  shining  from 
a  clear  sky,  and  the  only  breeze  was  a  gentle 
wind  from  the  Gulf,  which  made  the  voyage  a  very 
pleasant  one  until  we  reached  the  Gulf  at  5  P.  M. 

Both  Regiments  were  on  deck,  enjoying  a  ride 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 13 

on  the  "  ocean  wave,"  when  suddenly  the  bottom 
seemed  to  have  dropped  out  of  the  Gulf.  The 
waves  ran  high,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  the  ma- 
jority of  the  men  had  gone  below,  feeling  very  un- 
well/ During  the  night,  the  groans  of  the  sea-sick 
could  be  heard,  interspersed  with  a  comic  speech 
or  song,  from  those  whom  the  voyage  had  not  af- 
fected. The  next  day  it  turned  cold,  and  we  en- 
countered quite  a  storm.  By  this  time  the  band 
of  singers  had  decreased  very  rapidly  and  sea-sick- 
ness had  increased  correspondingly. 

On  the  15th,  after  a  stormy  passage,  the  ship 
was  nearly  blown  on  shore  off  Matagorda  Bay. 
The  ship  cast  anchor,  which  broke  during  the 
night,  and  we  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves,  un- 
til the  ship  was  again  anchored. 

Our  vessel  being  too  large  to  cross  the  bar  at 
the  mouth  of  the  bay,  we  were  compelled  to  wait 
for  a  calm  in  order  to  reship  on  a  smaller  vessel, 
which  did  not  occur  until  the  evening  of  the  17  th, 
when  we  were  transferred  to  the  steamer  St.  Mary's. 
Crossing  the  bar  the  next  morning,  we  disem- 
barked on  De  Crow's  Point,  Texas,  which  is  the 
headland  of  the  peninsula,  situated  between  Mata- 
gorda Bay  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  is  from  a 
fourth  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  in  width,  and  about 
fifty  miles  long.  Being  elevated  only  a  few  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Gulf,  it  is  completely  sub- 
merged during  high  water,  which  frequently  oc- 
curs during  a  severe  storm.  A  few  years  after  the 
war,  during   one    of  these   storms,  the   Peninsula 


114  HISTORY   OF   THE 

was  thus  submerged  and  all  on  it  perished  in   the 
Gulf. 

The  peninsula  is  almost  a  barren  sand-bar,  but 
little  vegetation  of  any  kind,  except  wild  grass, 
rushes  and  a  few  cactus,  which  grow  to  a  very 
large  size.  Along  the  beach  next  to  the  Gulf,  large 
hills  or  reefs  of  sand  are  formed  by  the  wind  and 
tide.  Although  we  were  almost  surrounded  by 
salt-water,  we  obtained  excellent  fresh  drinking 
water  by  digging  holes  two  or  three  feet  deep  in 
the  sand. 

Shortly  after  landing,  we  had  our  first  trial  of 
our  new  shelter-tents,  consisting  of  a  small  strip  of 
canvas,  about  four  feet  wide  and  seven  long,  better 
known  as  dog-tents.  They  were  scarcely  large 
enough  for  one  person.  They  took  the  place  of 
the  Sibley  and  Bell  tents,  which  were  turned  over 
to  the  Quartermaster. 

President  Lincoln  issued  a  proclamation  on  the 
8th  of  December,  1863,  in  which  he  offered  to  the 
Southern  people  one  more  opportunity  to  lay 
down  their  arms.  In  the  proclamation,  amnesty 
and  restoration  of  their  property  (excepting  slaves) 
were  offered  to  all  persons,  excepting  officers  above 
the  rank  of  Colonel,  all  civil  officers  of  the  Con- 
federate States,  and  officers  of  the  United  States 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  who  had  entered  the 
Confederate  service.  Raids  were  made  in  Janu- 
ary, 1864,  by  the  troops  on  the  coast  of  Texas,  in 
which  this  proclamation  was  scattered  along  the 
route,  but  if  any  Texans  accepted  the  amnesty  in 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  115 

that   part   of  the    State,   we    never   heard   of  it. 

In  August,  1863,  Gen.  Banks  received  instruc- 
tions from  Washington  to  plant  the  flag  at  some 
point  in  Texas  without  delay,  in  order  to  prevent 
foreign  complications.  A  naval  expedition  was 
sent  to  Sabine  Pass,  in  September,  with  part  of 
the  19th  Corps,  under  Gen.  Franklin,  but  the 
navy  failed  to  reduce  the  fort,  and  lost  several 
vessels  in  the  attempt.  Gen.  Banks  then  at- 
tempted to  reach  Texas  by  land,  by  way  of  New 
Iberia  and  Opelousas.  (Our  Division  took  part  in 
the  campaign,  but  did  not  get  farther  than  New 
Iberia.)  But  he  found  the  bayous  lower  than 
they  had  been  for  fifty  years,  and  the  country 
nearly  destitute  of  supplies.  The  expedition  was 
abandoned,  and  a  descent  was  made  under  Gen. 
Banks,  in  person,  on  the  coast  of  Texas,  at  Mata- 
gorda Bay,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
Our  Division  was  then  sent  to  DeCrow's  Point, 
Texas.  This  will  explain  the  complicated  move- 
ments of  the  army  during  the  fall  and  winter  of 
1864,  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf. 

The  army  mule,  that  had  stood  by  us  in  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  war,  and  who  was  always 
cheerful,  even  amid  disaster  and  defeat,  whether 
on  half-rations  or  no  rations  at  all,  was,  when 
landed  at  DeCrow's  Point,  after  his  ocean  voyage, 
a  most  distressed  and  pitiful-looking  object.  He 
was  completely  subjugated,  but  in  a  few  days  he 
had  rallied,  and  his  familiar  voice  was  again  heard 
as  loud  as   ever.     The  voyage    seemed   to   have 


Il6  HISTORY    OF    THE 

given  him  a  renewed  appetite  for  the  wood-work 
of  the  old  army  wagon. 

When  we  first  arrived,  our  duties  were  compara- 
tively light;  our  time  was  chiefly  spent  in  skirmish- 
drill  by  bugle  signals,  gathering  shells,  bathing  and 
fishing,  with  seines  borrowed  from  the  navy.  In 
addition  to  the  excellent  fish  caught,  it  was  rare 
sport  for  the  Regiment  to  haul  out  the  mysterious- 
looking  animals  from  the  briny  deep.  From  some 
unexplained  cause,  after  our  arrival  we  ran  out 
of  rations,  but  fortunately  the  peninsula  was  well 
stocked  with  sheep,  which  we  butchered,  and  lived 
for  eight  or  ten  days  almost  entirely  on  mutton. 

During  cold  or  rainy  weather,  and  on  occasions 
of  extra  fatigue,  or  guard  duty,  the  soldiers  were 
generally  supplied  by  the  commissary  depart- 
ment with  regular  rations  (one  gill)  of  whisky,  but 
by  some  oversight,  or  "forethought,"  more  whis- 
ky had  reached  us  than  hard-tack,  which  was  the 
only  time  during  our  service,  in  which  the  Quar- 
termaster drew  more  whisky  than  crackers ;  but, 
thanks  to  "kind-hearted"  army  contractors,  it  was 
diluted  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  entirely 
harmless  as  a  beverage. 

January  ist,  1864,  was  the  coldest  day  since 
leaving  Arkansas  Post,  the  ice  freezing  one  inch 
thick  in  our  tents,  and  covering  the  beach  with  the 
frozen  spray.  A  soldier  was  brought  in  from  the 
picket-line  in  an  unconscious  condition,  from  the 
effects  of  the  Norther.  During  the  day,  the  Regi- 
ment unloaded  a  schooner  at  the  landing,  and  suf- 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.   I.  117 

fered  severely  from  the  terrific  gale,  that  swept 
over  the  bay  and  dashed  the  waves  at  times  over 
the  vessel.  In  the  North  this  day  was  known  as 
"the  cold  New  Year." 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  Adjutant  R.  A. 
South  resigned,  and  Lieut.  Montgomery  was  de- 
tailed to  take  his  place.  The  Government  had  of- 
fered a  bounty  of  $400  to  all  who  had  served  over 
two  years,  if  they  would  enlist  for  another  term  of 
three  years,  and  in  addition  they  were  to  receive 
a  furlough  for  thirty  days,  and  the  Regiment  be 
entitled  to  the  name  of  "Veterans."  In  the  latter 
part  of  January  an  effort  was  made  to  re-enlist  the 
Regiment,  and  it  would  have  been  successful  had 
the  Commanding  General  consented  to  give  us 
our  thirty  days  furlough  immediately  ;  but  this  he 
refused  to  do.  Nevertheless,  quite  a  number  re- 
enlisted. 

Lieut.  Col.  Parker  obtained  a  leave  of  absence 
during  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  which  was  construed 
by  Gen.  Grant,  in  an  order  to  Col.  Sullivan,  as  his 
resignation.  This  order  was  forwarded  to  Colum- 
bus, Ohio.  Capt.  J.  W  Lindsey,  who  was  at  home 
on  furlough  at  the  time,  was  promoted  to  the  va- 
cancy. In  the  meantime,  Col.  Parker  obtained 
from  Gen.  Grant  a  revocation  of  the  order  accept- 
ing his  resignation,  stating  that  it  was  issued  by 
mistake.  He  rejoined  the  Regiment  at  De  Crow's 
Point,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  the  brigade. 
Shortly  afterwards,  he  received  his  dismissal  from 
the  service  on  a  charge  of  absence  without  leave. 


Il8  HISTORY   OF  THE 

He  obtained  a  recommendation  from  the  Regi- 
ment to  be  reinstated,  and  proceeded  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  where  he  had  the  order  of  his  dismissal 
revoked,  and  obtained  a  special  order  to  be  mus- 
tered as  Colonel  of  the  Regiment.  He  rejoined 
the  army  after  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads. 

February  ist,  orders  were  issued  for  brigade- 
drill  at  2  o'clock  P.  M.  every  day,  and  "grand  re- 
view" twice  a  week.  Military  maneuvers  in  that 
deep,  fine  sand,  were  very  fatiguing,  and  were  not 
relished  by  the  troops.  To  add  still  more  to  the 
discomfort,  an  order  came  to  our  Regiment,  that 
had  always  worn  caps,  to  dispense  with  them,  and 
appear  on  drill  and  "grand  review"  with  the  tall 
regulation  hats.  The  men  growled,  and  General 
"Red  Tape"  came  in  for  a  good  share  of  abuse. 

Feb.  2 2d,  we  were  ordered  on  board  the  steam- 
er "Albany,"  a  small  vessel  that  was  built  for  the 
New  Jersey  coast-trade,  but  before  embarking  we 
were  informed  that  she  was  unseaworthy  and  would 
probably  founder  in  the  first  gale.  After  this  be- 
came known,  the  Regiment  refused  to  embark. 
When  Gen.  Ransom,  who  commanded  the  detach- 
ment of  the  13th  Army  Corps,  heard  of  our  refusal, 
he  sent  for  the  commander  of  the  Regiment  and 
demanded  the  author  of  the  report.  Upon  being 
informed  that  Maj.  M.  C.  Garber,  A.  Q.  M.,  was 
responsible  for  the  report,  he  sent  for  that  officer 
and  gave  him  a  severe  reprimand,  and  ordered 
Capt.  Bering  to  take  the  Regiment  on  board  with- 
out delay.     There  being  no  remedy  but  disobe- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 19 

dience  of  orders,  we  embarked  that  evening.  Our 
fears  were  well  grounded,  for  since  the  war  the 
writer  met  Maj.  Garber,  and  referring  to  that  re- 
port, he  remarked  that  it  was  his  duty  to  examine 
each  vessel.  When  he  inspected  the  "Albany"  he 
condemned  her  as  being  unsafe  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  troops,  and  had  we  encountered  a  storm 
the  vessel  would  never  have  reached  port. 

On  our  trip  to  De  Crow's  Point,  in  December, 
the  weather  was  cold  and  stormy,  and  sea-sickness 
so  universal  that  we  did  not  enjoy  the  voyage  to 
a  very  great  extent,  but  on  our  return  trip  the 
weather  was  mild  and  warm.  The  sun  rose  and 
set  during  the  entire  voyage  in  a  cloudless  sky, 
and  the  beauty  of  a  "sunset  at  sea"  was  very  much 
enjoyed  by  the  Regiment,  who  lay  all  day  on  the 
deck,  enjoying  the  balmy  atmosphere  of  the  Gulf. 
The  endless  variety  of  the  finny  tribe,  sparkling 
in  the  waves  and  following  in  the  wake  of  the  ship, 
was  a  never-ceasing  object  of  interest.  Two 
species  of  sea-birds,  the  stormy  petrel,  which  runs 
along  the  surface  of  the  waves  with  great  rapidity, 
and  the  sea-gull,  a  large,  white  bird,  hovered 
around  our  vessel  until  we  arrived  in  sightof  land. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  we  crossed 
the  bar  and  entered  the  Mississippi  river,  arriving 
at  New  Orleans  that  night,  and  disembarked  the 
next  morning  at  Algiers.  On  arrival,  we  had  an 
opportunity  to  cross  over  the  river  to  New  Or- 
leans, to  lay  in  such  supplies  as  we  were  in  need 
of.     The  unusual  military  preparations  then  going 


120  HISTORY    OF   THE 

on  in  that  city,  foreshadowed  what  soon  followed 
— the  Red  River  expedition.  The  colored  brigade, 
composed  of  former  slaves,  made  quite  a  formid- 
able appearance  in  drill,  as  well  as  discipline,  as 
they  marched  through  the  streets  to  the  landing  to 
join  the  expedition,  and  was  in  great  contrast  to 
the  signs  of  "Slave  Depot — Slaves  Bought  and 
Sold,"  that  were  still  to  be  seen  on  the  buildings 
where  the  daily  auctions  of  the  chattels  were 
formerly  held.  We  took  the  afternoon  train  the 
same  day  for  Brashear  City,  where  we  arrived  in 
the  evening. 

The  plantations  along  the  line  of  the  rail- 
road were  far  advanced  in  their  spring  work, 
and  some  of  the  crops  were  already  well  under 
cultivation. 

The  next  morning,  the  26th,  we  crossed  the  bay, 
which  is  three  miles  wide  at  that  place,  and 
camped  on  the  west  shore  at  Berwick  City,  which 
was  rather  a  high-sounding  title  for  a  few  empty 
houses  and  an  old  cotton  shed.  Nature  had 
placed  natural  barriers  against  Berwick  becoming 
a  city  more  than  in  name.  To  the  south  were  the 
Gulf  marshes,  and  on  the  west  an  impenetrable, 
gloomy  cypress  swamp,  into  which  the  sun  never 
penetrated,  intersected  by  sluggish  bayous  and 
mud  sloughs.  It  was  the  paradise  of  alligators 
and  venomous  reptiles,  that  grow  to  enormous 
size  in  that  pestilence-breeding  atmosphere. 

Lieut.  Col.  Lindsey,  and  the  ten  sergeants  who 
left  for  Ohio  in  December,  rejoined  the  Regiment 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.   I.  121 

at  Algiers,  on  its  return  from  Texas.  The  Colonel 
brought  the  following  commissions  from  Gov. 
Brough,  for  members  of  the  Regiment :  Capt.  John 
A.  Bering,  promoted  to  Major  ;  Lieutenants  J.  R. 
Lynch,  Geo.  W.  Mosgrove,  C.  P.  Bratt,  A.  M. 
Cochran,  Thomas  Montgomery  and  R.  A.  South, 
promoted  to  Captains,  (the  latter  had  resigned)  \ 
and  W  J.  Srofe,  H.  W.  Day,  J.  K.  Reed,  J.  M. 
Kendall,  Joseph  Stretch  and  C.  Burkhart,  promote 
ed  to  First  Lieutenants. 

Col.  Lindsey  found  it  very  difficult  to  obtain  re« 
cruits  for  our  Regiment  while  at  home,  for  several 
reasons.  One  was  that  before  he  reached  Ohio, 
the  Regiment  had  been  sent  to  Texas,  which 
would  require  a  journey  of  over  two  thousand 
miles*  to  reach  us;  another  was  the  hot,  sickly 
climate  and  dread  of  the  yellow  fever.  While 
other  regiments,  stationed  in  Tennessee  and  Vir- 
ginia, were  in  a  healthier  climate  and  not  so  far 
away,  therefore  the  new  levies  wisely — and  for 
which  they  were  not  to  blame — 'selected  regiments 
stationed  nearer  home. 

The  time  to  re-enlist  as  veterans  would  expire 
with  the  last  of  the  month,  but  the  Regiment  still 
refused  to  re-enlist  in  a  body,  unless  they  could 
get  the  thirty  days  furlough  immediately  after  re- 
enlisting.  Our  Commanding  General  refused  to 
comply  with  this  request,  until  nearly  the  last  mo- 
ment, when  Gen.  McClernand,  who  had  again  as- 


•From    Cincinnati   to  New  Orleans  by  steamboat  1,5P0  miles. 
Prom  New  Orleans  to  Det'row'o  Point  by  ocean  steamer  650  miles. 


122  HISTORY    OF    THE 

sumed  command  of  the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps, 
with  headquarters  at  New  Orleans,  gave  the  de- 
sired promise  to  Lieut.  Col.  Lindsey.  In  a  few 
days  nearly  the  whole  Regiment  re-enlisted,  and 
were  sworn  in  for  another  term  of  three  years  on 
the  29th  of  February,  1864. 

March  1st,  Lieut.  C.  Burkhart  was  appointed 
Adjutant,  and  Sergt.  W.  A.  Pratt  promoted  to 
Sergeant-Major.  On  the  3d,  Capt.  Cyrus  Hussey, 
of  Company  A,  in  charge  of  ten  sergeants,  left  for 
Columbus,  Ohio,  to  obtain  recruits  for  the  Regi- 
ment from  the  drafted  men.  The  Captain  and 
one  of  the  Sergeants,  Harvey  Cashatt,  soon  after 
their  arrival  at  Columbus,  were  detailed  in  the 
Provost  Marshal's  office,  where  they  remained  un- 
til mustered  out  of  the  Regiment. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  report  of 
the  Adjutant  General  of  Ohio,  (Gen.  Cowan)  for 
1864: 

"  General  Orders  Nos.  191  and  305,  series  of 
1863,  from  the  War  Department,  provided  for  the 
re-enlistment  of  soldiers  then  in  the  service,  hav- 
ing less  than  one  year  to  serve  ;  such  re-enlisted 
men  to  be  known  as  'Veteran  Volunteers.'  The 
offer  of  large  bounties  and  a  furlough  of  thirty 
days  may  have  facilitated  these  enlistments  ;  but 
the  stern  determination  on  the  part  of  the  brave 
men  who  had  been  for  more  than  two  years  bat- 
tling for  the  cause  of  their  country,  not  to  lay 
down  their  arms  until  the  enemy  was  subjugated, 
was  the  greatest  incentive  to  re-enlist.     They  had 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 23 

undertaken  the  task  of  conquering  the  rebellion, 
and  were  unwilling  to  lay  down  their  arms  while 
an  armed  enemy  was  in  their  front.  Large  boun- 
ties are  no  compensation  for  the  untold  hardships, 
privations  and  dangers  of  a  soldier's  life,  and  no 
considerations  of  personal  aggrandizement  could 
have  induced  the  noble  sacrifices  they  made  ; 
nothing  but  the  highest  feeling  of  patriotism  could 
have  sustained  them. 

"While  the  non-veterans  of  our  three  years 
regiments  have  done  their  duty  to  their  country, 
and  retire  from  the  service  with  the  imperishable 
laurels  of  true  and  faithful  soldiers,  the  veterans 
are  entitled  to  a  larger  measure  of  praise,  for  hav- 
ing done  more  than  they  were  expected  to  do, 
and  having  manifested  in  so  practical  a  manner, 
their  unwavering  confidence  in  the  final  success  of 
the  Federal  arms.  All  honor  and  praise,  then,  to 
this  noble  band,  that  is  standing  in  the  front  as  a 
cordon  of  triple  steel,  and  closing  steadily  around 
the  gigantic  enemy  of  the  Nation's  life.  More 
than  twenty  thousand  of  the  soldiers  of  the  State 
of  Ohio  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  and  are  to-day 
fighting  the  battles  of  the  Republic,  or  sleep  in 
honored  graves  on  the  bloody  field  where  they 
fell." 

In  1866,  all  veterans  in  Ohio  regiments  receiv- 
ed a  medal,  accompanied  by  the  following  order : 


124  HISTORY   Of  THE 

"State  of  Ohio,         "1 

"Adjutant  General's  Office,  V 

"Columbus,  Tune  ist,  1866.      ) 

"  Sir  : — This  medal  is  presented  to  you  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  following  Joint  Resolution  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  Ohio,  as  a  slight  testi- 
monial of  the  high  appreciation  by  the  State,  of 
your  devoted  patriotism,  in  entering  upon  a  second 
term  of  enlistment,  without  any  hope  or  expecta- 
tion of  large  bounties,  and  actuated  only  by  the 
purest  love  of  country. 

"  None  are  entitled  to  this  medal  excepting  those 
who,  being  already  in  service  in  Ohio  Regiments, 
re-enlisted  for  an  additional  term  of  three  years. 

"Resolved^  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Stale  of 
Ohio,  That  the  Governor  procure,  or  cause  to  be 
procured,  for  each  veteran  volunteer  who  re-en- 
listed from  this  State  under  General  Orders  No. 
191,  of  1863,  a  bronze  medal,  one  and  one  half 
inches  in  diameter,  containing  upon  one  side  in 
bold  relief,  the  following  or  some  similar  design, 
to-wit:  Ohio  personified,  crowning  one  of  her 
soldiers  with  laurel.  Emblems — wheat  sheaf; 
eagle  perched  on  shield,  bearing  State  arms.  In 
the  background,  a  steamer  and  tented  field;  spring- 
ing from  the  wand  which  supports  the  liberty  cap, 
a  buckeye  leaf.  Clasp — a  plain  bar,  on  which 
shall  be  raised  the  buckeye  and  laurel ;  the  swiv- 
el of  the  clasp  in  form  of  a  monogram  U.  S.  Upon 
the  reverse  side  to  be  engraved  the  name  of  the 
recipient,   with  his  regiment,  battalion  or  battery, 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 25 

surrounded  with  a  laurel  wreath.  The  medal  to 
be  suspended  by  a  piece  of  tri-colored  silk  rib- 
bon, and  in  its  artistic  features  to  be  equal  to  the 
'Crimean  medal.' 

"Very  Respectfully, 

"B.  R.  COWAN." 


126  HISTORY   OF   THE 


CHAPTER  XV 

Ordered  to  Franklin— Guarding  Pontoon  Train — Alexan- 
dria—Natchitoches— Capture  of  Pavy  and  McCune  — 
Guarding  the  Wagon  Train — Battle  of  Sabine  Cross 
Roads— Out  of  Ammunition — Enemy  in  the  Rear — Re- 
treat Cut  Off— Capture — On  Our  Way  to  Prison — Ex- 
tracts from  Gen.  Ransom's  Official  Report — Number 
Captured— Extracts  from  Report  of  Committee  on  Con- 
duct of  the  War — -The  Rebel  Genera)  Taylor's  Report 
of  the  Battle  — First  Night  as  Prisoners  — Confederate 
Rations— School  House— Marshall — Flag  Song. 

|S  soon  as  the  Regiment  had  been  sworn  in  as 
veterans,  letters  were  immediately  dispatched 
home,  to  prepare  for  our  reception  on  the  prom- 
ised furlough.  But  we  were  badly  disappointed. 
Instead  of  receiving  our  furlough,  we  were  ordered 
to  Franklin,  where  the  troops  of  the  Gulf  Depart- 
ment were  concentrating  for  an  expedition  up 
Red  river,  at  which   point  we  arrived  on  the  8th. 

Here  the  troops  were  organized  for  the  cam- 
paign. The  second  brigade  was  composed  of  the 
19th  Ky.,  96th,  83d  and  48th  Ohio,  commanded 
by  Col.  Vance,  of  the  196th  Ohio.  Our  Division 
was  composed  of  two  brigades,  (1st  and  2d)  and 
under  command  of  Col.  W.  J.  Landrum. 

March  10th,  in  accordance  with  orders  issued 
by  Gen.  McClernand,  the  following  battles  were 
ordered  to  be  inscribed  on   the  colors  of  the  48th 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  12J 

Ohio  Vet.  Vol.  Inf.  :  "Battle  of  Shiloh,  Siege  of 
Corinth,  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Port 
Gibson,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge, 
Siege  of  Vicksburg  and  Jackson." 

We  remained  at  Franklin  until  the  14th,  when 
the  Regiment  took  charge  of  the  pontoon  train 
and  left  for  Alexandria,  distant  170  miles,  via 
Opelousas  and  Washington.  We  had  a  very 
pleasant  trip,  making  the  journey  by  easy  marches, 
through  the  richest  sugar  and  cotton  plantations 
of  Louisiana.  As  we  were  independent  of  any 
command,  it  is  needless  to  add  that  the  bill  of  fare 
each  day  contained  delicacies  that  were  not  re- 
ceived through  the. commissary  department. 

After  fourteen  days'  marching,  we  reached 
Alexandria  on  the  27th.  The  same  evening,  Col. 
Lindsey  and  Maj.  Bering  called  on  Gen.  Franklin, 
to  request  him  to  fulfill  the  promise  to  furlough 
the  veterans.  He  gave  a  short  answer,  to  the  ef- 
fect that  he  could  not  spare  a  single  man  at  that 
time,  to  say  nothing  of  a  whole  veteran  regiment 
like  ours.  This  was  poor  comfort  for  the  Regi- 
ment, and  it  is  unnecessary  to  add  that  many  used 
language  that  is  called  profane.  Others  again 
were  like  the  Quaker — feared  they  "could  not  do 
the  subject  justice."  Quite  a  number  were  still 
hopeful,  and  thought  that  as  the  promise  was  made 
in  good  faith,  the  furlough  might  arrive  at  any  mo- 
ment. But  all  were  doomed  to  disappointment,  for 
late  that  night,  orders  were  received  to  be  ready  to 
march  toward  Shreveport  the  next  morning. 


128  HISTORY    OF    THE 

During  the  night  it  rained  incessantly,  and  to- 
ward morning  it  came  down  in  torrents.  At  day- 
break our  Regiment  was  ordered  to  fall  in  imme- 
diately, and  take  the  advance  of  the  army,  instead 
of  a  furlough  home.  This  news  was  not  very  well 
received,  for  the  main  army  had  been  in  camp  two 
days,  resting,  while  our  Regiment  had  only  arriv- 
ed the  previous  day.  But  swearing  was  no  help 
for  us,  so  we  loaded  up  in  the  rain,  many  without 
breakfast,  and  with  much  grumbling  by  everybody, 
we  took  the  advance. 

Occasionally,  on  the  march,  some  wag  would 
call  out,  "Here's  your  veterans,  going  to  Shreve- 
port,  on  a  thirty  days'  furlough  !"  A  long  fur- 
lough it  proved,  most  assuredly,  to  the  most  of  us. 
After  marching  a  few  days,  the  disappointment 
wore  off,  and  we  became  somewhat  reconciled. 
On  the  2d  of  April,  we  arrived  at  Natchitoches, 
La.,  127  miles  above  Alexandria.  During  our 
stay  here,  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the  24th  Iowa 
was  killed  in  sight  of  camp  by  the  rebels.  He, 
with  two  of  our  Regiment,  Pavy  and  McCune,  of 
Company  D,  were  just  outside  the  lines,  foraging, 
when  they  were  surprised  in  a  barn  by  two  armed 
rebels  and  captured.  Being  unarmed,  they  made 
no  resistance.  After  tying  them  loosely  together, 
they  were  marched  back  some  distance  and  seated 
on  a  log,  when  the  rebels  decided  to  shoot  them, 
and  began  tying  them  more  securely.  The  Iowa 
soldier,  who  was  in  the  middle,  attempted  to  re- 
lease   himself;  whereupon  one    of  their  captors 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 29 

fired,  killing  him  instantly.  At  this  Pavy  broke 
loose  and  ran  for  camp,  with  one  of  his  captors 
after  him,  while  McCune  was  knocked  down  with 
a  musket  by  the  other,  who  then  turned  and  watch- 
ed the  race.  McCune,  in  the  meantime,  recover- 
ing, untied  himself  from  his  dead  comrade,  and 
made  good  his  escape,  as  did  also  Pavy,  who  came 
into  camp  almost  exhausted.  A  force  of  cavalry 
was  sent  out  and  the  body  of  the  dead  soldier  was 
brought  in,  and  the  house  and  barn  burnt.  The 
two  rebels  were  afterward  captured,  but  claimed 
they  were  Confederate  soldiers,  at  home  on  a  fur- 
lough. The  rebels  threatened  retaliation  if  they 
were  executed,  so  they  were  afterwards  exchanged. 

From  the  day  we  started  on  the  Red  River  ex- 
pedition, we  were  like  the  Israelites  of  old,  ac- 
companied by  a  cloud  (of  smoke)  by  day,  and  a 
pillar  of  fire  by  night.  The  rebels  had  a  company 
of  cavalry  setting  fire  to  all  the  cotton  along  our 
route.  From  the  cotton  the  flames  would  spread 
to  the  cotton-sheds  and  out-houses,  and  frequently 
reached  the  dwellings  of  the  planters  and  cabins  of 
the  slaves.  This  was  one  of  the  curious  phases  of 
the  war— to  see  the  rebels  bent  on  the  destruction 
of  their  own  property. 

We  left  Natchitoches  April  6th,  for  Shreveport, 
La.,  by  way  of  Pleasant  Hill  and  Mansfield.  We 
guarded  the  train  on  the  7th,  and  did  not  get  into 
camp  until  the  drums  were  beating  the  last  tattoo. 
The  Regiment  stacked  arms,  and  while  peparing 
our  late  supper,  we  sat  aronnd  the  cheerful  camp 


13°  HISTORY   OF   THE 

fires,  discussing  the  campaign,  which  as  usual  drift- 
ed into  reminiscences  of  the  peaceful  days  be- 
fore the  war,  and  ended  with  the  query,  when 
shall  we  get  our  long  promised  furlough  ? 
little  dreaming  what  was  in  store  for  us  on  the 
coming  morrow.  We  started  next  morning,  April 
8th,  with  the  brigade,  at  5^  o'clock.  The 
enemy,  who  had  been  easily  driven  the  day  be- 
fore by  the  cavalry,  became  quite  stubborn,  and  it 
at  times  required  the  aid  of  the  infantry  to  dis- 
lodge them.  »We  marched  until  half  past  ten, 
when  we  arrived  at  St.  Patrick's  Bayou,  which 
Gen.  Franklin  selected  as  our  camping-ground. 

We  had  scarcely  stacked  arms,  when  Gen.  Ran- 
som ordered  one  brigade  forward  on  double-quick. 
We  found  great  difficulty  in  passing  the  cavalry 
train,  which  obstructed  the  entire  road  through 
the  dense  pine  forest.  At  intervals  we  could  hear 
the  heavy  firing  in  our  front,  indicating  that  there 
was  work  ahead  for  us.  Soon  we  began  to  see 
the  wounded  and  dead,  along  the  road,  which 
showed  clearly  that  the  rebels  were  fighting  at 
every  point.  We  had  nearly  reached  the  Sabine 
Cross-Roads,  when  Col.  Lindsey  ordered  Maj. 
Bering  to  take  command  of  the  Regiment,  he  be- 
ing ordered  to  take  command  of  the  brigade  by 
Col.  Vance,  who  was  sick.  The  Colonel  did  not 
leave  the  field,  but  partially  recovering,  he  re- 
mained during  the  battle.  He  retained  Lieut. 
Col.  Lindsey  to  assist  him,  and  was  killed  during 
the  engagement. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  13 1 

We  arrived  at  the  front  between  one  and  two 
o'clock  P.  M.  In  our  front  was  a  cleared  field, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  was  a  belt  of  timber, 
where  our  cavalry  was  skirmishing  with  the  enemy. 
Col.  Landrum  ordered  our  brigade  across  to  the 
right  of  the  road,  on  double-quick,  to  take  posi- 
tion in  the  edge  of  the  woods.  We  charged  across 
the  open  field  and  over  a  small  stream,  then  up  to 
the  timber.  Here  the  men  threw  off  their  knap- 
sacks, advanced  a  short  distance  and  halted. 

We  remained  in  line  of  battle  until  near  4 
o'clock,  when  the  cavalry  pickets  came  back  on  a 
gallop  through  our  lines,  saying  the  enemy  was 
advancing  in  strong  force.  We  occupied  a  nar- 
row strip  of  timber,  and  the  rebels  an  open  field 
beyond.  Midway  between  the  two  armies  was  a 
rail  fence,  running  parallel  with  our  line  of  battle, 
at  the  further  edge  of  the  timber.  We  were  or- 
dered forward,  and  had  proceeded  but  a  short  dis- 
tance, when  we  discovered  the  long  line  of  rebel 
infantry,  coming  on  double-quick,  to  gain  the 
fence.  It  now  became  an  exciting  race,  but  for- 
tunately we  reached  the  fence  while  the  enemy 
was  still  about  fifty  yards  distant.  Our  men,  drop- 
ping on  their  knees,  rested  their  rifles  on  the 
fence  and  delivered  a  volley  with  terrible  effect. 
The  enemy  delivered  their  fire  entirely  too  high, 
but  stood  their  ground  for  half  an  hour,  when  the 
whole  line  wavered  in  our  front  and  retreated  in 
disorder,  leaving  the  ground  covered  with  killed 
and  wounded.     Cheer  after  cheer  went  up  from 


132  HISTORY   OF  THE 

our  troops  when  they  saw  the  rebels  flying  from 
the  field. 

In  a  short  time,  however,  they  reformed,  and 
came  up  in  two  lines,  and  renewed  the  attack,  but 
were  repulsed  as  before.  Their  field-officers  be- 
ing mounted,  were  picked  off  as  fast  as  they  came 
in  range.  The  Division  held  its  position  for  near- 
ly two  hours,  against  the  combined  forces  of  the 
rebel  Generals,  Dick  Taylor,  Walker  and  Mouton, 
when  suddenly  the  right  of  the  Regiment  was 
forced  back  from  the  fence,  caused  by  an  enfilad- 
ing fire  from  the  enemy.  The  19th  Kentucky,  who 
occupied  the  position  on  our  right,  had  received 
orders  from  Col.  Landrum  to  retreat,  but  waiting 
for  our  Regiment,  which  for  some  cause  had  not 
received  the  order,  they  changed  front  to  our 
rear,  and  remained  with  us. 

The  brigade  was  now  ordered  by  its  command- 
er, (Lieut.-Col.  Lindsey)  to  fall  back  gradually. 
We  left  the  fence  and  retreated  about  fifty  yards, 
where  we  attempted  to  make  another  stand  under 
a  heavy  fire,  but  we  were  entirely  out  of  ammuni- 
tion and  our  supply  cut  off,  which  made  our  con- 
dition very  critical.  They  soon  closed  in  and  de- 
manded our  surrender;  With  no  other  alterna- 
tive, the  Regiment  reluctantly  threw  down  their 
arms  and  empty  cartridge-boxes,  and  were  hurried 
to  the  rear,  while  our  batteries  from  the  third  Di- 
vision, which  had  just  arrived,  began  throwing 
shell  and  solid  shot  into  our  midst.  We  passed 
over   the  battle-field,  that  was  strewn  with  rebel 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  133 

dead  and  wounded,  and  met  line  after  line  of 
rebel  infantry  and  artillery,  who  were  hurrying 
forward  toward  the  scene  of  action.  We  began 
to  think  their  numbers  had  been  under-estimated, 
and  were  fearful  of  the  consequences,  but  they 
were  groundless,  for  on  the  following  day  (the  9th) 
the  rebel  army  was  defeated  by  our  forces  at 
Pleasant  Hill. 

During  the  engagement  several  details  were  sent 
to  the  rear  to  bring  up  a  supply  of  ammunition, 
but  they  were  cut  off,  captured  or  killed.  Among 
the  latter  was  Adjutant  C.  Burkhart.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded,  as  near  as 
we  could  ascertain  : 

Lieut.  Col.  Lindsey,  wounded  in  arm ;  Adju- 
tant C.  Burkhart,  killed  ;  Capt.  G.  W.  Mosgrove, 
of  Co.  D,  wounded  in  thigh,  and  the  only  officer 
that  escaped  capture ;  Capt.  A.  M.  Cochran,  of 
Co.  E,  wounded  in  foot ;  Co.  B,  Amos  Fuller  and 
Wm.  Fuller,  wounded ;  Co.  C,  Samuel  Hair,  mor- 
tally wounded  through  the  breast ;  he  was  taken 
prisoner  and  died  a  few  days  after  ;  Morgan  Ted- 
rick,  wounded  slightly ;  Co.  E,  Carl  Huff,  wound- 
ed ;  Co.  G,  Wm.  Barron,  killed,  G.  Bohan, 
wounded;  Co.  H,  Wm.  Cast,  killed,  Jos.  Quinn, 
Wm.  Riley,  Jos.  Dorly, Pat.  Conner,  Wm.  Bamgrove 
and  Charles  Keener,  wounded  ;  and  the  follow- 
ing officers  captured  :  Lieut.-Col.  J.  W.  Lindsey, 
Maj.  J.  A.  Bering,  Captains  James  Sowry,  A.  M. 
Cochran,  Daniel  Gunsaullus  and  Thomas  Mont- 
gomery, Lieutenants  W.  J.  Srofe,  H.  \WDay  and 


134  HISTORY   OF  THE 

M.  McCaffrey.  Total  9,  and  168  enlisted  men. 
Col.  Lindsey  was  sent  to  the  hospital,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  campaign  was  exchanged,  with  the 
rest  of  the  wounded  that  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy  during  the  Red  River  expedition. 

The  Regiment  fought  with  the  skill  and  bravery 
of  veterans,  showing  that  they  had  been  well 
drilled  in  the  art  of  fighting,  and  had  profited  by 
the  experience  gained  °n  former  battle-fields,  as 
was  proved  by  the  large  number  of  killed  and 
wounded  among  the  rebels  who  undertook  to 
drive  us  from  the  fence.  Such  coolness  is  seldom 
witnessed  on  the  battle-field,  and  we  could  record 
many  daring  deeds  performed  by  individuals  dur- 
ing the  engagement,  but  where  all  behaved  so 
coolly  what  is  said  in  praise  of  one  will  apply  to 
all.  Nevertheless,  after  completely  defeating  the 
enemy  in  our  front,  to  be  overpowered  when  out 
of  ammunition,  by  a  superior  force  in  our  rear, 
when  we  had  a  large  army  lying  in  camp  six  or 
seven  miles  back,  was  a  poor  reward  for  such 
heroism;  but  such  are  the  fortunes  of  war. 

Gen.  T.  E.  G.  Ransom  passed  through  our  Regi- 
ment during  the  engagement,  cheering  the  men 
with  his  presence.  He  also  testified  to  their 
bravery  in  his  official  report  of  the  battle.  To 
give  a  more  general  idea  of  the  engagement,  we 
will  insert  a  copy  of  Gen.  Ransom's  official  report. 
He  commanded  the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps,  was 
wounded  in  the  leg  during  the  engagement,  and 
sent  to  New  York,  where  this  report  was  written  : 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  135 

"New  York  City,  June  n,  1864. 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following 
report  of  the  movements  of  the  troops  under  my 
command,  consisting  of  the  Third  Division,  Thir- 
teenth Army  Corps,  Brig.-Gen.  R.  A.  Cameron, 
commanding,  and  the  Fourth  Division,  Thirteenth 
Army  Corps,  under  command  of  Col.  W.  J.  Lan- 
drum,  on  the  6th,  7th  and  8th  of  April,  1864. 

"On  the  6th  of  April,  my  detachment,  having 
the  advance  of  the  infantry  column,  moved  from 
Natchitoches  at  6  o'clock  A.  M.,  in  the  rear  of 
the  cavalry  division,  and  being  constantly  de- 
layed by  the  baggage-train  of  the  latter,  went  in- 
to camp  late  on  Bayou  Mayon,  having  marched 
nineteen  miles  on  the  Pleasant  Hill  road.  Moved 
at  half-past  5  o'clock  A.  M.  on  the  7th,  the  head 
of  the  column  arrivng  at  Pleasant  Hill,  19  miles, 
at  2  o'clock  P  M.,  overtaking  the  cavalry  train 
on  the  road,  and  Dudley's  brigade  of  cavalry  at 
Pleasant  Hill.  When  these  had  moved  from  our 
camping-grounds,  I  went  into  camp  about  4 
o'clock  P  M.,  though  my  train  and  rear-guard 
did  not  arrive  till  late  at  night.  At  10  o'clock  P. 
M.,  I  received  an  order  to  send  a  brigade  to  Gen. 
Lee,  commanding  the  cavalry  division,  at  or  be- 
fore 5  o'clock  the  following  morning.  In  compli- 
ance with  the  above  order,  Col.  Landrum  moved 
with  the  first  brigade  of  his  division,  and  reported 
to  Gen.  Lee  at  daylight  on  the  8th. 

"Underorders  from  Maj.-Gen.  Franklin,  I  moved 
the  remainder  of  the  Corps  forward  at  half-past  5 


136  HISTORY    OF   THE 

o'clock  A.  M.,  and  arrived  with  the  advance  at 
St.  Patrick's  Bayou,  at  half-past  10  o'clock  A.  M., 
our  march  having  as  before  been  retarded  by  the 
cavalry  train.  Gen.  Franklin  had  previously 
designated  this  creek  as  my  camping-ground,  and 
I  accordingly  ordered  the  Third  Division,  and  the 
second  brigade  of  the  Fourth  Division,  into  camp 
at  half-past  10  A.  M.  Before  the  order  had  been 
complied  with,  a  request  was  received  from  Gen. 
Lee,  asking  for  more  infantry,  to  relieve  that  al- 
ready with  him,  and  Gen.  Franklin  directed  me  to 
send  the  second  brigade  of  the  Fourth  Division, 
Col.  J.  W  Vance  commanding,  to  relieve  the  first 
brigade,  who  were  reported  as  worn  out  with  hard 
skirmishing  and  marching. 

"The  second  brigade  moved  forward  at  n 
A.  M.  and  at  my  request,  Gen.  Franklin  author- 
ized me  to  go  to  the  front,  and  see  that  the  first 
brigade  was  relieved  by  the  second.  I  immedi- 
ately went  forward,  and  on  the  road  received  a 
dispatch,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy  : 

"'12,  noon.  Gen.  Ransom  :  My  men  have  skir- 
mished and  marched  through  the  bushes  and 
thickets  for  8  or  9  miles.  They  have  no  water, 
and  are  literally  worn  out.  Can  you  have  them 
relieved  soon  ?  Gen.  Lee  insists  on  our  pushing 
forward.  "  'W  J.  LANDRUM, 

"'Col.  Com'd'g4th  Div.' 

"The  infantry  finding  much  difficulty  in  passing 
the   cavalry  train,   which   obstructed   the   road,   I 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  I37 

went  on  in  advance  of  them,  and  arrived  at  the 
front,  5  y2  miles  from  St.  Patrick's  Bayou,  about 
half-past  1  o'clock  P.  M.  I  found  that  our  forces 
had  just  driven  the  enemy  across  an  open  field, 
and  were  shelling  him  from  a  fine  position  on  a 
ridge,  which  Col.  Landrum  occupied  with  his  in- 
fantry and  Nim's  battery,  about  2  o'clock  P.  M. 
It  was  determined  to  halt  here,  in  order  to  allow 
the  second  brigade  to  come  up  and  relieve  the 
first. 

"In  company  with  Brig.-Gen.  Stone  and  Lieut. 
Higby,  signal-officer,  I  went  to  the  front  line  of 
skirmishers,  and  carefully  reconnoitered  the  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy.  We  were  able  to  perceive 
two  batteries,  and  a  large  force  of  infantry  in  line 
of  battle,  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  from  a  half 
to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  our  front,  and 
also  considerable  bodies  of  infantry  moving  down 
the  road  leading  to  our  right  and  rear. 

"Hearing  of  the  arrival  of  Maj.-Gen.  Banks 
and  staff  upon  the  field,  about  3  o'clock  P.  M.,  I 
reported  to  him,  and  advised  him  of  the  position 
and  apparent  strength  of  the  enemy,  and  from 
him  received  instructions  as  to  the  disposition  of 
my  troops  on  the  field,  and  of  those  momentarily 
expected.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  brigade,  the 
positions  of  two  of  its  regiments — the  83d  and  96th 
— were  assigned  by  Maj.  Leiber,  of  Gen.  Banks' 
staff,  on  the  opposite  flank  from  that  determined 
on  by  Gen.  Banks  and  myself,  and  in  a  position 
where  I  should  not  have  placed  them. 


138  HISTORY   OF   THE 

"The  infantry  on  the  right  of  the  road  occu- 
pied a  narrow  belt  of  timber,  dividing  two  large 
plantations,  and  having  open,  though  broken, 
ground  in  front,  and  in  the  rear  a  cultivated  field, 
which  descended  to  a  small  creek,  and  thence 
rose  to  the  timber,  one-half  mile  to  the  rear  of 
our  line. 

"Nim's  battery  was  posted  on  a  hill,  near  the 
road,  about  two  hundred  yards  to  the  left  of  the 
belt  of  timber,  and  was  supported  by  the  23d 
Wisconsin  infantry,  which  was  on  the  left  and  be- 
hind the  crest  of  the  hill,  with  open  fields  in  front. 
The  67th  Indiana  supported  the  battery  on  the 
right,  joined  by  the  77th  and  130th  Illinois,  48th 
Ohio,  19th  Kentucky,  96th  Ohio,  a  section  of 
mounted  artillery,  and  the  83d  Ohio,  making  in 
all  2,413  infantry.  The  cavalry  and  mounted  in- 
fantry under  Gen.  Lee,  were  posted  on  the  flanks 
and  rear,  having  Col.  Dudley's  brigade  on  the 
left  and  Col.  Lucas's  on  the  right,  and  also  skir- 
mishers deployed  in  front  of  the  infantry. 

"The  skirmishing  continued  throughout  the  af- 
ternoon, becoming  sharp  on  the  right  about  half- 
past  2  o'clock  P.  M.  At  this  time  Col.  Lucas  re- 
ported that  his  skirmishers  on  the  extreme  right 
were  driven  in,  and  that  a  few  of  his  men  on  that 
flank  had  been  captured.  About  4  o'clock  P.  M. 
the  enemy  commenced  advancing  his  lines  across 
the  open  fields  in  our  front,  and  east  of  the  road. 
I  directed  Col.  Landrum  to  advance  our  right,  con- 
sisting of  the  83d,  96th  and  48th  Ohio,  130th  Illi- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  I39 

nois,  and  19th  Kentucky,  and  he  immediately 
opened  fire  on  the  enemy,  now  in  good  range, 
and  advancing  in  two  lines.  We  drove  back  his 
first  line  in  confusion  upon  his  second,  but  recov- 
ering, he  again  advanced  till,  unable  to  endure  our 
heavy  fire,  he  halted  about  two  hundred  yards 
from  our  front,  where  many  of  his  men  lay  down 
and  returned  our  fire.  I  felt  confident  that  this 
portion  of  our  line  could  not  be  broken,  but  while 
moving  toward  the.  left  flank  I  was  informed  that 
the  enemy  were  pressing  us  at  that  point,  and  that 
the  mounted  infantry  were  falling  back. 

"At  this  time  Captain  White,  chief  of  artillery, 
reported  that  the  Chicago  Mercantile  Battery, 
Lieut.  Cone  commanding,  and  the  First  Indiana 
Battery,  Capt.  Klaus  commanding,  had  arrived, 
and  I  directed  him  to  place  them  in  an  advanta- 
geous position  on  a  ridge  to  the  east  of  the  road, 
and  near  a  house  occupied  as  Gen.  Banks'  head- 
quarters, where  they  opened  on  the  enemy,  who 
had  shown  himself  in  strong  force  on  the  left.  *  * 

"Our  left  flank  was  completely  turned,  and  the 
enemy,  having  taken  Nim's  battery,  were  in 
strong  force  on  the  hill,  and  pouring  a  destructive 
fire  into  the  batteries  of  the  Fourth  Division.  I 
ordered  the  latter  to  the  rear,  to  a  point  on  the 
right  of  the  road,  and  sent  Capt.  Dickey,  my 
Ass't.  Adj't.-General,  to  order  Col.  Landrum  to 
withdraw  his  Division  to  the  edge  of  the  timber 
in  our  rear.  Capt.  Dickey  was  to  send  aides  to 
the  different  regiments,  to  give  the  orders  direct, 


140  HISTORY    OF   THE 

in  case  he  should  not  find  Col.  Landrum,  but 
while  in  performance  of  this  duty,  this  gallant  offi- 
cer fell  senseless  from  his  horse,  mortally  wound- 
ed. Owing  to  the  loss  of  Capt.  Dickey  before 
he  had  communicated  my  orders,  some  of  the 
regiments  did  not  receive  them  until  they  were 
surrounded  and  their  retreat  cut  off,  while  they 
were  gallantly  fighting  a  superior  force  in  their 
front. 

"In  company  with  Col.  Landrum,  I  was,  as  the 
troops  arrived,  re-forming  the  line  in  the  edge  of 
the  woods,  when  I  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
knee  and  was  carried  to  the  rear.  I  found  the 
woods  and  roads  full  of  mounted  men,  flying  in 
confusion  from  the  field. 

"I  desire  here  to  bear  witness  to  the  gallantry 
of  Brig. -Gen.  Stone,  who  was  on  the  left  of  the  line 
with  Gen.  Lee.  He  used  the  small  force  of 
infantry  to  the  best  advantage,  in  bravely 
but  unsuccessfully  endeavoring  to  repulse  the 
overwhelming  force  of  the  enemy.  Col.  Lan- 
drum, commanding  Fourth  Division,  was  conspic- 
uous, and  everywhere  present,  encouraging  all 
by  his  own  gallant  conduct,  and  judicious  disposi- 
tion of  his  men.     *      *     * 

"I  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  bravery  and  sol- 
dierly bearing  of  Lieut.-Col.  Cowan  and  Maj. 
Mann,  of  the  19th  Kentucky,  Lieut.  Col.  Baldwin, 
83d  Ohio,  Maj.  Bering,  48th  Ohio,  Maj.  Reed, 
130th  Illinois,  and  know  the  gallantry  with  which 
their     men    repulsed      the    enemy    in    his     first 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.    I.  141 

"  The  conduct  of  the  troops  under  my  com- 
mand was  all  that  I  could  ask.  They  repulsed  a 
superior  force  in  their  front,  and  but  for  the  move- 
ment of  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  upon  our  left, 
which  could  not  be  prevented  with  the  force  at 
our  command,  would  have  held  the  first  line,  and, 
with  the  assistance  of  Gen.  Cameron's  Third  Di- 
vision, could  have  checked  the  enemy  till  the  ar- 
rival of  the  Nineteenth  Corps.      ***** 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Major,  very  respect- 
fully, your  obedient  servant, 

"T.  E.  G.  RANSOM,*  Brig.-Gen.  Vols. 
"Maj.  Wickham  Hoffman,  Ass't.  Adju't.-Gen." 

After  the  Fourth  Division  was  captured,  the  Third 
Division  of  the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps  arrived, 
were,  in  turn,  overpowered,  being  compelled  to  fall 
back  before  superior  numbers,  and  the  enemy  were 
not  checked  until  they  came  up  with  the  Nine- 
teenth Corps,  about  two  or  three  miles  from 
where  we  had  been  captured. 

Seven  miles  back  from  the  battle-ground  the 
Nineteenth  Corps  was  encamped,  numbering  five 
or  six  thousand  men,  and  fifteen  miles  back,  Gen. 
A.  J.  Smith,  with  seven  or  eight  thousand.  The 
main  army  was  in  camp,  out  of  supporting  dis- 
tance, to  the  number  of  thirteen  or  fourteen 
thousand  men,  while  the  battle  was  fought  on  our 
side  with  twenty-four  hundred,  besides  the  cavalry, 

"Died  of  di&eaae  In  the  Atlanta  campaign. 


142  HISTORY   OF  THE 

and    we   had    opposed    to   us    an    army   of    ten 
thousand  rebels. 

In  this  engagement  the  rebels  captured  1,200 
prisoners,  besides  the  wounded,  20  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery, and  250  cavalry  wagons.  But  it  was  a 
dear-bought  victory  for  the  enemy.  The  17th 
Texas  was  badly  cut  up,  and  the  Crescent 
regiment,  composed  of  young  men  of  the  first 
families  of  New  Orleans,  was  almost  annihilated. 
It  lost  every  field  officer,  and  many  of  its  com- 
pany officers,  while  the  18th  and  28th  Louisiana 
suffered  severely  in  killed  and  wounded,  both 
of  officers,  and  men,  and  Gen.  Mouton,  a  favorite 
officer,  was  killed. 

The  following  account  of  the  battle  is  from  the 
Confederate  Lieutenant-General,  Richard  Taylor's, 
"  Personal  Experiences  of  the  Late  War  "  : 

"Leaving  Green,  I  returned  to  Mansfield,  stop- 
ping on  the  road  to  select  my  ground  for  the  mor- 
row. This  was  in  the  edge  of  a  wood,  fronting 
an  open  field,  eight  hundred  yards  in  width 
by  twelve  hundred  in  length,  through  the  center 
of  which  the  road  to  Pleasant  Hill  passed.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  field  was  a  fence,  separat- 
ing it  from  the  pine  forest,  which,  open  on  the 
higher  ground  and  filled  with  underwood  on  the 
lower,  spread  over  the  country.  The  position 
was  three  miles  in  front  of  Mansfield,  and  covered 
a  cross-road  leading  to  the  Sabine.  On  either 
side   of   the   main  Mansfield-Pleasant   Hill  road, 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.    I.  1 43 

at  two   miles'  distance,  was  a  road  parallel   to  it, 
and  connected  by  this  Sabine  cross-road. 

"  My  troops  reached  the  position  in  front  of 
Sabine  cross-road  at  an  early  hour  on  the  8th, 
and  were  disposed  as  follows  :  On  the  right  of  the 
road  to  Pleasant  Hill,  Walker's  infantry  division 
of  three  brigades,  with  two  batteries  ;  on  the  left, 
Mouton's,  of  two  brigades  and  two  batteries.  As 
Green's  men,  (composed  of  three  brigades  of 
cavalry,  under  Generals  Bee,  Mayor  and  Bagby) 
came  in,  they  took  position,  dismounted,  on  Mou- 
ton's left. 

"A  regiment  of  horse  was  posted  in  each  of 
the  parallel  roads  mentioned,  and  DeBray's  caval- 
ry, with  McMahon's  battery,  held  in  reserve  on 
the  main  road.  Dense  forest  prevented  the  em- 
ployment of  much  artillery,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  McMahon's,  which  rendered  excellent 
service,  none  was  used  in  the  action.  I  had  on 
the  field  5,300  infantry,  3,000  horse,  and  500  ar- 
tillerymen, in  all,  8,800  men,  a  very  full  estimate, 
and  on  the  morrow  Churchill,  with  4,400  muskets, 
would  be  up.     *     *     * 

"The  enemy  showing  no  disposition  to  advance, 
at  4  P.  M.  I  ordered  a  forward  movement  of  my 
whole  line.  The  ardor  of  Mouton's  troops,  es- 
pecially the  Louisianians,  could  not  be  restrained 
by  their  officers.  Crossing  the  field  under  a  heavy 
fire  of  artillery  and  small  arms,  the  division 
reached  the  fence,  paused  for  a  moment  to  draw 
breath,  then  rushed  into  the  wood  on  the  enemy. 


144  HISTORY   OF  THE 

Here  our  loss  was  severe.  Gen.  Mouton  was  killed, 
as  were  Colonels  Armand,  Beard  and  Walker, 
commanding  the  18th,  the  Crescent,  and  28th 
Louisiana  regiments  of  Gray's  brigade.*  Maj. 
Canfield,  of  the  Crescent,  also  fell,  and  Lieut.-Col. 
Clack,  of  the  same  regiment,  was  mortally  wound- 
ed. As  these  officers  went  down,  others,  among 
whom  Adjutant  Blackman  was  conspicuous,  seiz- 
ed the  colors  and  led  on  the  men.  Polignac's 
brigade,  on  the  left  of  Gray's,  also  suffered  heavi- 
ly. Col.  Noble,  17th  Texas,  with  many  others, 
was  killed.  Polignac,  left  in  command  by  the 
death  of  Mouton,  displayed  ability  and  pressed 
the  shattered  division  steadily  forward.  Randall, 
with  his  fine  brigade,  supported  him  on  the  right ; 
while  Major's  dismounted  men,  retarded  by  dense 
wood,  much  to  the  impatience  of  Gen.  Green, 
gradually  turned  the  enemy's  right,  which  was 
forced  back,  with  loss  of  prisoners  and  guns. 

"On  the  right  of  the  main  road,  Gen.  Walker, 
with  Waul's  and  Scurry's  brigades,  encountered 
but  little  resistance  until  he  had  crossed  the  open 
field  and  entered  the  wood.  Finding  that  he  out- 
flanked the  enemy's  left,  he  kept  his  right  brigade, 
Scurry's,  advanced,  and  swept  everything  before 
him. 

"The  first  Federal  line,  consisting  of  all  the 
mounted  force  and  one  division  of  the  13th  Army 
Corps,  was   in   full  flight,  leaving  prisoners,  guns 


*Gen.   Gray's   brigade    occupied  the   position    in    front   of  our 
brigade. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V    V.    I.  145 

and  wagons  in  our  hands.  Two  miles  in  the  rear 
of  the  first  position,  the  2d  Division  of  the  13th 
Corps  was  brought  up,  but  was  speedily  routed, 
losing  guns  and  prisoners  ;  and  our  advance  con- 
tinued. Near  sunset,  four  miles  from  our  original 
position,  the  19th  Army  Corps  was  found,  drawn 
up  on  a  ridge,  overlooking  a  small  stream. 
Fatigued  and  distressed  by  their  long  advance 
through  dense  wood,  my  men  made  no  impression 
for  a  time  on  this  fresh  body  of  troops  ;  but  pos- 
session of  the  water  was  all-important,  for  there 
was  none  other  between  this  and  Mansfield. 
Walker,  Green  and  Polignac  led  on  their  weary 
men,  and  I  rode  down  to  the  stream.  There  was 
some  sharp  work,  but  we  persisted,  the  enemy  fell 
back,  and  the  stream  was  held  just  as  twilight 
faded  into  darkness.     *     *     * 

"  Sitting  by  my  camp-fire,  to  await  the  move- 
ment of  Churchill's  column,  I  was  saddened  by 
the  recollection  of  the  many  dead,  and  the  pleasure 
of  victory  was  turned  to  grief  as  I  counted  the  fearful 
cost  at  which  it  had  been  won.  Of  the  Louisianians 
fallen,  most  were  acquaintances,  many  had  been 
neighbors  and  friends ;  and  they  were  gone. 
Above  all,  the  death  of  gallant  Mouton  affected 
me.  *  *  *  Our  total  loss  in  killed,  wounded 
and  missing,  (during  the  campaign)  was  3,376." 

The  plan  of  the  campaign  was  for  Gen. 
Steele,  with  a  force  of  10,000  men,  to  form 
a  junction  with  Gen.  Banks  at  or  near  Shreve- 
port,  but  Gen.  Steele,  having  lost  a  large  portion 


1 46  HISTORY   OF  THE 

of  his  supply  train,  was  compelled  to  abandon  the 
expedition  before  he  got  within  100  miles  of 
Shreveport. 

After  our  capture  at  Sabine  Cross  Roads, 
the  enemy  was  held  in  check  by  the  19th 
Corps,  and  the  army  fell  back  to  Pleasant  Hill  dur- 
ing the  night.  The  following  day  the  battle  of 
Pleasant  Hill  was  fought,  in  which  the  rebels  were 
defeated  and  driven  from  the  field.  The  following 
morning  at  daylight  the  army  retreated  to  Grand 
Ecore,  where  it  was  delayed  on  account  of  the 
navy  until  April  2 2d,  when  the  retreat  was  re- 
sumed and  the  enemy  found  in  a  strong  position 
at  Cane  river ;  but  after  a  severe  engagement  they 
were  dislodged  and  the  army  reached  Alexandria 
April  25th.  The  following  day  the  fleet  of  gun- 
boats and  transports  arrived  at  the  head  of  the 
falls,  but  owing  to  the  low  stage  of  the  river  they 
could  not  cross  them.  The  great  danger  was 
that  the  whole  fleet  would  have  to  be  destroyed, 
to  keep  it  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  ene- 
my. At  this  critical  period  Lieut.-Col.  Baily,  of 
the  4th  Wis.  Vol's.,  made  a  proposition  to  erect  a 
dam  at  the  foot  of  the  falls  and  two  wing  dams  on 
both  sides  of  the  river  above,  and  by  this 
means,  force  the  water  into  the  main  channel, 
of  sufficient  depth  to  allow  the  fleet  to  pass  over 
the  falls.  The  work  was  commenced  April  30th, 
by  the  Pioneer  Corps  and  large  details  from  the 
army.  The  soldiers  labored  zealously  day  and 
night,  in  the  water   waist-deep,  until   May   13th, 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  147 

when  the  last  vessel,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  army 
and  navy,  passed  over  the  falls. 

The  army  then  evacuated  Alexandria,  and  re- 
sumed its  march  to  the  Mississippi  river,  where, 
after  several  sharp  engagements  with  the  enemy, 
they  reached  Simmsport  May  16th,  and  Gen. 
Canby  relieved  Gen.  Banks  of  the  command  of 
the  Department  of  the  Gulf. 

Thus  ended  the  Red  River  expedition,  which, 
under  able  generalship,  might  have  struck  the  rebel 
cause  in  the  Southwest  a  severe  blow,  but  instead 
of  that  it  revived  to  a  great  extent  the  drooping 
spirits  of  the  enemy. 

The  immense  wagon-train  of  the  cavalry  re- 
ceived its  full  share  of  blame  for  the  failure  of  the 
expedition,  of  which  a  military  critic  says  :  "Gen. 
Banks  made  his  great  march  up  Red  river  with 
his  wagons  as  his  advance-guard.  The  scheme 
worked  finely,  and  would  have  been  a  complete 
success  if  the  enemy  had  not  interfered  with  the 
arrangement." 

The  total  loss  of  Gen.  Banks'  army  during  the 
campaign,  was  289  killed,  1,541  wounded,  and 
2,150  missing  ;  total,  3,980.  The  enemy's  loss,  ac- 
cording to  Gen.  Taylor,  was  3,976,  our  loss  being 
over  half  in  prisoners,  while  the  greater  portion  of 
theirs  was  in  killed  and  wounded. 

From  the  summary  of  the  report  of  the  Con- 
gressional Committee,  before  whom  the  testimony 
was  taken,  we  gather  the  following  ; 


148  HISTORY   OF   THE 

"The  whole  expedition  presents  many  remark- 
able features.  It  was  undertaken  without  the  di- 
rection of  any  one,  so  far  as  the  evidence  shows, 
and  the  authorities  at  Washington  did  not  furnish 
the  troops  which  the  General  commanding  the 
expedition  considered  necessary  for  the  purpose. 
In  the  absence  of  all  orders  requiring  this  expedi- 
tion to  be  undertaken,  and  after  the  refusal  of  the 
authorities  at  Washington  to  furnish  the  troops 
asked  for,  it  was  entered  upon  by  the  Commanding 
General,  as  shown  by  the  evidence,  against  his 
judgment  and  in  the  belief  that  it  must  necessarily 
fail ;  and  it  was  prosecuted  at  an  immense  sacri- 
fice of  life,  of  property  and  valuable  time,  after 
the  development  of  facts  that  utterly  precluded  all 
hope  of  success.  Its  only  results,  in  addition  to 
the  disgraceful  disasters  that  attended  it,  were  of 
a  commercial  and  political  character.  The  com- 
mercial transactions  were  conducted  by  specula- 
tors, who  followed  the  army  with  and  without  per- 
mits. The  political  transaction  was  the  holding 
of  elections  in  the  camps  of  the  army  while  re- 
organizing a  civil  government  in  the  State  of 
Louisiana,"  etc.  etc. 

Such  is  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Con- 
duct of  the  War,  of  which  Senator  Wade  was 
chairman,  in  regard  to  the  Red  River  Expedition, 
under  Gen.  Banks. 

From  the  battle-field  we  were  taken  to  Mans- 
field, about  four  miles  distant,  and  put  in  the 
court-house  yard.     After  taking  our  names,  they 


FORTY^EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 49 

marched  us  about  two  miles  out  of  town,  and 
guarded  us  in  a  field.  The  night  was  cold  and 
chilly,  and  as  we  had  no  blankets,  we  set  fire  to 
some  old  logs  and  crowded  around  as  closely  as 
possible,  in  order  to  keep  warm.  About  eleven 
o'clock  that  night  we  received  a  few  crackers  and 
some  bacon. 

The  next  day,  April  9th,  the  prisoners,  number- 
ing 182  officers  and  1,000  men,  in  charge  of  a 
battalion  of  Louisiana  cavalry,  started  for  Camp 
Ford,  Texas.  After  marching  15  or  20  miles,  we 
were  corraled  for  the  night.  Here  we  received 
our  first  regular  rations  from  the  Confederacy, 
which  consisted  of  a  pint  of  musty  corn  meal, 
coarsely  ground,  and  a  slice  of  salt  beef.  As  we 
had  no  cooking  utensils,  some  procured  boards, 
upon  which  they  baked  their  bread,  while  others 
baked  it  in  the  ashes.  A  number  had  their  ra- 
tions cooked  at  a  house  near  camp,  for  which  the 
charge  was  so  exorbitant  that  in  the  future  they 
did  their  own  cooking.  If  at  any  time  we  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  procure  a  pot  or  kettle  from  the 
guards,  we  would  have  a  sumptuous  feast  of  mush, 
which,  for  want  of  spoons,  was  eaten  with  paddles. 

The  following  day  we  proceeded  on  our  way  to 
Texas.  In  places  we  found  the  road  lined  with 
slaves,  in  charge  of  their  masters,  who  were  hur- 
rying them  to  Texas  to  prevent  them  from  falling 
into-  the  hands  of  the  "Yankees."  The  con- 
tracted brows  of  the  masters  indicated  their  ha- 
tred, while  the  happy  countenances  of  the  slaves 


15°  HISTORY   OF   THE 

showed  that  they  considered  us  their  best  friends. 
For  the  benefit  of  both  parties,  we  would  sing, 

"  Ole  Massa  rann'd— aha ! 
De  darkeys  stay,  oho  ! 

It  must  be  now  dat  de  kingdom  am  a  coram', 
An'  de  year  ob  Jubilo  !" 

which   would   make   the    masters   frown  and  the 
darkies  grin. 

On  the  nth  we  passed  through  Lagrange.  The 
only  building  of  note  was  a  large  school-house, 
that  was  used  as  a  hospital,  and  was  full  of  sick 
and  wounded  rebels.  We  camped  that  evening 
on  one  of  the  very  few  streams  that  are  found  in 
that  part  of  the  country,  as  the  surface  is  undu- 
lating, and  the  soil  sandy,  gravelly  and  dry,  with 
but  few  springs,  or  running  streams.  Occasional- 
ly, on  the  march,  we  would  pass  large  crowds  of 
men  and  women,  waiting  at  some  cross-road  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  "Yankees."  While  pass- 
ing, we  generally  sang  some  Union  song  for  their 
benefit.  At  one  place,  quite  a  number  of  ladies 
had  collected  from  the  neighborhood  of  a  small 
village,  and  we  sang  for  them  the  following  war- 
song: 

"The  stars  and  the  stripes  shall  wave  in  evert  State, 

As  WE  GO  MARCHING  ON," 

to  the  tune  of  "John  Brown,"  when  several  of 
them  cried  out  "No,  they  shan't !  No,  they  shan't !" 
accompanied  with  gestures  that  were  quite  amus- 
ing. We  continued  our  song,  one  key  higher. 
Soon  after  we  were  halted  for  a  rest,  at  the  only 
school-house  seen  outside  of  a  town   or  city  on 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  151 

our  way  to  prison.  It  was  occupied  by  a  lady 
teacher  and  a  few  small  scholars.  She  directed 
the  children  to  give  the  prisoners  what  they  had 
left  from  their  dinners.  She  was  from  the  State 
of  Illinois,  and  the  war  found  her  teaching  in 
Texas. 

On  the  fourth  day's  march  we  arrived  at  Mar- 
shall, Texas,  and  camped  in  the  woods  near  the 
city.  The  next  morning  we  passed  through  the 
place.  The  whole  surrounding  population  turned 
out  to  see  the  "Yankees"  who  had  been  captured. 
Some  really  believed  that  they  had  made  prison- 
ers of  the  whole  army.  Our  boys  would  halloo 
at  them  and  sarcastically  tell  them  they  had  cap- 
tured all  the  "Yankees,"  "the  war  was  now  over," 
etc.  While  passing  through  the  main  street,  we 
came  to  a  large  crowd,  who  occupied  the  side- 
walks and  windows.  The  guards,  who  were  prin- 
cipally boys,  coaxed  us  to  sing  that  "Flag  Song," 
("Rally  Round  the  Flag,  Boys.")  It  was  no  sooner 
said  than  done,  and  when  we  came  to  the  chorus  : 

"Down  with  the  traitors  and  up  with  the  stars," 

one  old  lady  ran  out  of  the  crowd,  very  much  ex- 
cited, and  called  to  the  guards  to  "make  the  Yan- 
kees quit  that  singing."  But  they  enjoyed  it  too 
much  to  order  us  to  stop.  The  old  lady  kept  on 
shaking  her  fist  at  us,  and  stamping  her  feet,  but 
whatever  she  said  was  drowned  in  the  chorus  of 
the  "Union  Forever,"  sung  by  about  five  hun- 
dred Yankees,  who  felt  miserable  enough  to  make 
everybody  else  feel  so. 


152  HISTORY    OF   THE 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PRISON    LIFE    IN    TEXAS. 

"In  the  prison  cell  I  sit,  thinking, mother  dear,  of  you, 
And  our  bright  and  happy  home,  so  far  away  ; 

Yet  the  tears  they  fill  my  eyes,  spite  of  all  that  I  can  do, 
Though  I  try  to  cheer  my  comrades  and  be  gay." 

Arrival  at  Camp  Ford — The  Stockade— Building  Huts — 
Col.  Allen  Relieved  by  Col.  Border — Adjutant  Mc- 
Eachan — "Keno" — Tied  Up  by  the  Thumbs — Rations 
Cut  Off—  The  Famous  Order,  "Kill  All  Recaptured 
Prisoners" — New  Recruits  from  Gen.  Steel's  Army — 
Building  Hospital — Poisonous  Insects — Fourth  of  July 
Celebration — Exchange  of  One  Thousand  Prisoners 
— New  "Cart-el" — Tunneling — Our  Flag  in  Prison — Dif- 
ferent Trades — Inflation  Prices — Old  Citizen  Dumped 
— Brutal  Treatment  of  Prisoners — Escape  of  Maj. 
Bering  and    Lieut.  Srofe — New  Commander. 

||jiffij|FTER  seven  days  weary  marching,  we  arriv- 
zMfgk  ed  at  Camp  Ford,  situated  four  miles  east  of 
Tyler,  Smith  county,  Texas,  an  old  prison,  which 
contained  about  600  Union  soldiers.  It  was  com- 
monly called  "the  Stockade,"  and  had  been  en- 
larged from  about  three  acres  to  six,  in  order  to 
make  room  for  new-comers.  It  was  surrounded 
by  logs  set  into  the  ground,  and  projecting  out 
five  or  six  feet,  on  the  outside  of  which  the  guards 
were  stationed.  When  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
stockade,  all  eyes  were  directed  toward  what  was 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 53 

to  be  our  future  home.  The  sight  was  not  very 
encouraging.  Inside  of  what  appeared  to  be  a 
large  pen,  were  a  few  log  cabins  scattered  around, 
with  here  and  there  a  hut,  made  of  brush,  or  a 
hovel,  made  altogether  of  yellow  clay.  Every 
cabin,  and  every  available  high  spot  of  ground, 
were  covered  by  the  old  prisoners,  who  were 
dressed  in  "tatters  and  rags,"  and  all  anxious  to 
get  a  glimpse  of  "Gen.  Banks'  Army,"  which  the 
rebels  reported  as  being  captured.  We  were 
marched  to  the  upper  part  of  the  stockade  and 
drawn  up  in  line,  when  Col.  Allen,  the  prison  com- 
mander, addressed  the  prisoners  to  the  effect,  that 
each  regiment  would  be  allowed  the  length  of  the 
ground  they  occupied,  with  a  width  of  twenty 
feet,  for  their  quarters,  and  told  them  to  make 
themselves  as  comfortable  as  possible.  We  thought 
this  rather  cool,  as  we  had  no  blankets  or  covering 
of  any  kind.  We  had  marched  500  miles  since 
we  left  Berwick  Bay,  March  7th,  and  to  say  we 
were  tired,  foot-sore,  hungry  and  discouraged, 
would  be  stating  it  mildly. 

The  officers  of  our  Regiment  were  kindly  in- 
vited by  the  old  officers  in  prison,  to  their  several 
shanties,  and  provided  with  supper  and  lodging 
until  they  succeeded  in  building  a  residence  of 
their  own.  For  this  kindness,  the  officers  of  the 
Regiment  will  forever  consider  themselves  under 
obligations  to  the  old  prisoners.  The  following 
day  the  officers  of  the  Regiment  decided  to  build 
a  log  cabin.     We   borrowed   one  ax,  and  paid  for 


154  HISTORY   OF   THE 

the  use  of  another,  and  by  two  weeks  hard  work 
we  had  succeeded  in  erecting  a  log  hut,  by  carry- 
ing the  logs  half  a  mile.  In  the  course  of  time 
the  prisoners  succeeded  in  building  shanties, 
brush  huts,  or  rude  hovels,  by  burrowing  in  the 
ground. 

One  difficulty  in  making  shelter  was  the  scarci- 
ty of  axes  ;  still  greater,  to  get  permits  to  go  out- 
side. The  rebel  authorities  claimed  that  they  did 
the  best  they  could,  but  this  was  a  mistake.  It 
would  have  been  but  very  little  trouble  for  them, 
with  the  slaves  at  their  command,  to  have  built 
log  cabins  sufficient  to  shelter  every  prisoner.  But 
the  enterprising  and  industrious  Northern  sol- 
diers only  asked  permission  to  go  outside  and  get 
the  necessary  material,  which  was  granted  to  so 
few  at  a  time,  that  very  little  progress  could  be 
made. 

While  engaged  in  building,  the  time  passed  rap- 
idly, but  after  that  was  done,  it  began  to  hang 
heavily  on  our  hands.  The  few  books  in  camp 
were  soon  read  ;  playing  chess  became  irksome 
after  a  while,  and  too  much  sleeping  during  the 
day  spoiled  our  rest  at  night. 

Our  meals  did  not  occupy  a  great  deal  of  our 
time.  After  roll-call  we  had  breakfast,  which  con- 
sisted of  corn  bread  and  corn  coffee,  and  dinner 
as  soon  thereafter  as  possible,  consisting  of  corn 
bread  and  beef,  our  supper  being  made  up  of  the 
scraps  of  the  two  previous  meals,  provided  there 
had  been  anything  left. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 55 

We  had  settled  down  and  were  getting  used  to 
the  new  order  of  things,  when,  about  the  middle  of 
May,  ten  or  twelve  hundred  prisoners  that  had 
been  captured  at  Marks'  Mills,  Arkansas,  from 
Gen.  Steel's  command,  were  turned  into  the 
stockade.  A  short  time  afterward,  another  party 
arrived,  consisting  of  about  six  hundred  prisoners, 
generally  known  as  Col.  Leek's  men.  They 
had  been  sent  forward  for  exchange,  but  on 
account  of  some  difficulty,  were  returned  to  their 
old  quarters  after  an  absence  of  eight  or  ten 
weeks.  They  were  decidedly  a  hard-looking  set 
of  men,  as  they  had  been  in  prison  for  nearly  a 
year,  and  during  that  time  had  not  received  a 
single  article  of  clothing. 

After  eight  or  ten  weeks  under  Col.  Allen,  as 
prison  commander,  he  was  superseded  by  Lieut.- 
Col.  Border.  Col.  Allen  was  not  a  bad  man  at 
heart.  He  did  not  misuse  any  of  the  prisoners, 
although  he  never  granted  them  any  particular 
favors.  He  put  off  every  one  with  fair  promises, 
which  were  seldom  redeemed. 

Our  new  commander,  Col.  Border,  was  some- 
what on  the  "black-flag"  order — "Kill  as  you  go" 
— but  too  indolent  to  carry  out  any  of  his  threats. 
He  had  a  worthy  tool  in  the  person  of  his  Adju- 
tant, Lieut.  McEachan,  who  was  always  contriving 
something  to  cause  trouble,  that  he  might  "shoot 
Yankees  by  the  wholesale,"  as  he  remarked  on 
one  occasion. 

We  were  well  supplied  with  gamblers,  and  their 


156  HISTORY    OF   THE 

favorite  game  was  called  "Keno."  Sometimes  as 
many  as  a  dozen  different  gambling  institutions  were 
in  full  blast  in  the  public  square.  Every  few  days 
Adjutant  McEachan,  with  a  squad  of  soldiers, 
would  slip  in  and  surround  the  gamblers  and  cap- 
ture their  funds.  To  avoid  these  raids,  the  gam- 
blers would  place  a  sentinel,  who,  when  he  saw 
McEachan  coming,  would  give  the  watch-word, 
"Keno,"  which  was  repeated  all  over  the  camp, 
and  thus  they  were  protected  from  future  raids. 
But  this  watch-word,  "Keno,"  McEachan  thought 
was  applied  to  him,  for  whenever  he  appeared  he 
was  greeted  on  all  sides  with  the  cry  of  "Keno," 
which  so  exasperated  him  that  he  would  take 
whole  squads  out  and  punish  them  for  refusing  to 
point  out  the  parties  who  called  out  "Keno."  To 
deliver  up  a  fellow-prisoner  was  never  thought  of 
for  a  moment  ;  consequently,  the  whole  squad 
would  be  punished,  by  tying  their  thumbs  to  a 
beam  overhead,  and  compelling  them  to  stand  with 
their  bare  feet  on  sharp  sticks  driven  into  the 
ground.  He  finally  withheld  the  rations  from  the 
whole  camp,  unless  the  leaders  of  the  "Keno"  cry 
would  be  delivered  up  for  special  punishment. 
But  Col.  Flora  and  Capt.  DeHart,  of  the  46th 
Indiana,  having  sent  word  to  the  commander  at 
Tyler,  notifying  him  of  the  action  of  the  Adju- 
tant, he  ordered  Col.  Border  to  supply  the  prison- 
ers with  rations  without  delay.  But  for  the 
prompt  action  of  Col.  Anderson,  the  commander 
at  Tyler,  there  is  no  telling  how  the  matter  might 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.    I.  157 

have  ended.  Had  the  Adjutant  persisted  in  his 
threat  to  starve  us  into  compliance  with  his  terms, 
the  four  thousand  desperate  and  half-starved  pris- 
oners would  no  doubt  have  overpowered  the 
guards  and  flooded  the  country. 

After  the  public  reprimand  of  McEachan  by 
Col.  Anderson,  he  did  not  torment  the  Yankees 
by  wholesale,  but  made  individuals  feel  his  power. 
Prisoners  recaptured  in  the  attempt  to  escape, 
were  made  to  stand  on  stumps  or  barrels,  for  days, 
without  hats  or  shoes,  in  the  broiling  sun,  while  a 
guard  stood  over  them  with  loaded  musket,  to 
prevent  them  from  sitting  down.  Others  were 
tied  up  by  the  thumbs  in  the  manner  already 
described,  or  sent  to  jail  at  Tyler,  in  irons,  while 
several  guards,  who  had  shot  a  number  of  our 
men  without  provocation,  were  rewarded  by  pro- 
motion for  the  deed.  Then  came  the  famous  or- 
der to  kill  all  re-captured  Yankees  : 

"  Hereafter,  any  Federal  prisoner,  being  de- 
tected in  trying  to  make  his  escape  from  the 
prison,  either  in  the  act  or  after  he  has  made  his 
escape,  will  be  shot  by  the  one  capturing  him. 
By  order  of  Lieut.-Col.  BORDER, 

"Commanding  Camp  Ford  Prison. 

"B.  W.  McEachan,  Lieut,  and  Act'g  Adj't." 

In  this  way  he  kept  the  camp  in  a  continual 
state  of  feverish  excitement.  In  the  meantime, 
additions  were  being  made  almost  weekly  to  our 
number,  from  Gen.    Banks'  army,  on  Red  River, 


158  HISTORY   OF  THE 

and  Gen.  Steel's  army,  in  Arkansas,  until  the  pen 
was  almost  over-crowded.  Sickness  now  began  to 
increase,  and  the  so-called  hospital  for  the  prison- 
ers, composed  of  a  log  cabin  and  some  brush  huts, 
was  soon  filled.  The  sanitary  condition  of  the 
stockade,  and  the  wants  of  the  sick,  are  well  de- 
scribed in  the  report  of  the  Prison  Surgeon,  which 
is  as  follows  : 

"Tyler,  Texas,  June  14,  1864. 
"Surgeon  J.  M.  Hayden,  Chief  Med.  Bureau,  Trans- 
Miss,  Dep'L  : 
"Sir: — In  obedience  to  orders,  I  reported  to 
Col.  Anderson,  Commander  of  Federal  prisoners, 
who  placed  me  on  duty  as  Surgeon  in  charge.  I 
at  once  examined  the  sanitary  condition  of  the 
stockade,  and,  although  my  mind  was  prepared 
by  representation,  to  meet  with  abundant  material 
for  disease,  it  fell  far  short  of  the  reality.  The 
enclosed  ground  is  entirely  too  small  for  the 
number  of  men,  (over  4,500),  and  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  make  them  healthy  in  such  a  crowded 
condition.  The  filth  and  offal  have  been  deposit- 
ed in  the  streets  and  between  the  quarters,  from 
which  arises  a  horrible  stench.  A  great  number 
of  enlisted  men  have  no  quarters  or  shelter,  and 
have  to  sleep  out  on  the  ground,  with  not  even  a 
blanket  to  cover  them.  Some  of  the  sick  are  thus 
situated,  and  I  am  making  preparations  to  pro- 
vide for  their  wants  and  to  make  them  comfort- 
able. We  have  a  hospital  in  course  of  erection, 
and  will  need  bedding  very  much.     The  popular 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.   I.  1 59 

prejudice  here   is  so  strong  against  them,  that  I 
can  get  no  facilities  from  the  people.     I  am  ready 
to  receive   into   the  hospital  a  few,  if  we  had  the 
articles,  and  they  are  not  to  be  had  here.  *  *  *  * 
"  Very  Resp'f  y,  Your  Ob'dt  Serv't. 

"F.  M.  MEAGHER." 

The  Surgeon's  report  had  no  more  effect  on  the 
"Medical  Bureau,"  than  his  appeal  to  the  "preju- 
diced people."  The  only  result  was,  the  rebels 
furnished  an  old  mule  and  cart,  to  haul  off  the 
garbage. 

The  enlargement  of  the  hospital  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  sick,  was  done  by  volunteers  from 
among  the  prisoners,  who  erected  two  buildings, 
one  thirty-five  by  ten  feet,  the  other  about  fifty 
feet  long  and  twenty  feet  wide,  a  short  -distance 
from  the  stockade,  which  was  soon  filled  with 
emaciated  forms.  Only  the  worst  cases  were  al- 
lowed to  enter.  Even  then  there  was  not  room 
for  half — many  dying  in  the  stockade. 

The  physicians,  stewards  and  nurses  were  all 
volunteers,  who  were  stimulated  by  a  generous 
spirit  to  assist  in  relieving  the  wants  of  their 
fellow-prisoners,  by  administering  the  meager  al- 
lowance of  medicines  and  rations  of  corn  bread 
and  beef,  which  was  not  very  inviting  to  those 
who,  from  disease  and  exposure,  were  on  the 
verge  of  the  grave.  A  large  spring  in  the  south- 
west corner,  strongly  impregnated  with  sulphur, 
supplied    the    prisoners    with   wholesome     water, 


%6o  HISTORY  OF  THE 

which  was  a  great  luxury  in  that  miserable  pen. 

We  had  to  exercise  great  caution  on  account  of 
the  numerous  poisonous  insects  in  and  around 
the  prison.  A  soldier  was  bitten  on  the  neck, 
which  became  very  much  swollen,  but  the  sur- 
geons could  not  do  anything  to  relieve  him,  and 
after  much  suffering  the  man  died.  A  short  time 
afterward,  a  tarantula  was  found  under  a  board 
in  his  cabin.  The  tarantula  is  in  fact  an  over- 
grown spider,  and  sometimes  attains  the  size  of 
the  hand.  He  is  a  repulsive  looking  object,  with 
his  glaring  black  eyes  and  frightful  claws.  His 
bite  is  said  to  be  more  fatal  than  that  of  the  rattle- 
snake. They  were  to  be  found  everywhere  under 
the  tall  grass,  and  in  the  woods,  under  logs  and 
in  hollow  trees.  If  he  is  disturbed  in  his  nest,  he 
will  spring  at  the  intruder  like  a  tiger,  sometimes 
jumping  three  and  four  feet. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  we  requested  of  the  Prison 
Commander  permission  to  celebrate  Independ- 
ence day,  which  he  finally  granted,  with  the  prom- 
ise not  to  allude  to  the  "unpleasantness"  then  ex- 
isting between  the  North  and  South.  We  assem- 
bled at  10  A.  M.  under  our  green  arbors,  formed 
by  the  green  boughs  across  the  whole  width  of 
the  street,  where  a  rude  platform  had  been  erected 
for  the  speakers.  The  exercises  consisted  of 
reading  the  Declaration,  orations  and  toasts. 
Here  were  gathered  the  officers  and  men  from 
nearly  every  Northern,  and  some  from  Southern 
States — representing,  by  their  monograms,  nearly 


forty-eighth  o.  v.  v.  i.  161 

every  branch  of  the  service.  "Some  wore  the 
bugles  of  infantry,  others  the  cross-sabers  of  cav- 
alry or  the  trumpets  of  sharp-shooters,  while  the 
crossed-cannon  represented  the  artillery,  the  tur- 
rets and  shield  the  engineers,  and  gold-banded 
caps  the  navy."  But  the  majority  were  without 
sign  of  rank,  or  uniform  of  any  kind,  being 
dressed  in  butternut,  or  the  rebel  grey.  As  Du- 
ganne  says : 

"Suck  effigies  of  garments!  armless  shirts  and 
legless  trousers  ;  bits  of  blanket  tied  about  the 
loins  ;  such  patches  of  every  size  and  hue  ;  such 
scarecrow  figures  of  humanity  !  Their  wives  and 
mothers  would  not  know  them  from  the  chiffoniers 
who  rake  out  Northern  gutters." 

But  their  love  for  the  Union  and  the  "old  flag" 
was  as  deep  and  fervent  as  ever,  as  was  evinced 
by  their  frequent  and  hearty  cheers  during  the 
exercises.  Twice  the  celebration  was  marred  by 
rebel  interference ;  once  by  the  officer  of  the 
day,  who  did  not  know  that  we  had  received  the 
proper  authority  ;  the  second  time  by  a  sergeant 
and  a  file  of  soldiers,  who  charged  us  with  display- 
ing the  American  flag.  We  were  finally  allowed 
to  proceed  with  the  celebration,  with  the  warning 
that  if  a  flag  was  displayed,  the  guards  would  open 
fire  on  the  prisoners. 

A  few  days  after  the  celebration,  about  one 
thousand  of  the  oldest  prisoners  were  exchanged. 
Before  leaving,  they  presented  their  huts  and  cook- 
ing utensils  to  the  most  needy  prisoners. 


162  HISTORY   OF  THE 

Numerous  way,s  were  tried  by  the  prisoners  to 
escape.  A  large  number  succeeded  in  getting 
away  by  bribing  the  guards,  while  others  tried 
tunneling,  although  there  were  many  who  did  not 
have  any  faith  in  that  mode  of  escape.  Still,  the 
work  performed  in  digging  proved  beneficial,  as 
it  kept  their  minds  and  hands  employed,  while 
they  forgot  everything  else.  But  very  few  tunnels 
were  ever  completed,  so  as  to  be  of  any  bene- 
fit for  escape.  The  rebels  generally  discovered 
them  in  time  to  prevent  the  prisoners  from  get- 
ting away,  and  always  compelled  those  caught 
digging  to  fill  the  tunnel  up  again. 

Still  another  way  was  the  garbage  cart.  It  was 
driven  by  one  of  the  prisoners,  accompanied  by 
two  guards.  While  the  cart  was  being  loaded 
with  the  refuse  of  the  camp,  some  of  the  prison* 
ers  would  engage  the  guards  in  a  trade,  while  two 
of  their  number  would  secrete  themselves  in  the 
cart  and  allow  themselves  to  be  covered  up  with 
the  garbage ;  then  the  cart  was  driven  to  the 
woods  and  dumped,  the  men  hiding  in  the  brush 
until  dark,  when  they  would  make  good  their  es- 
cape. One  day  two  officers  were  thus  secreted, 
but  when  the  cart  started,  a,  half-witted  prisoner 
informed  the  guards.  Upon  being  dumped,  the 
officers  were  very  much  surprised  to  see  the  senti- 
nels, who  marched  them  back  to  prison.  This 
ended  that  way  of  escape,  known  as  the  "New 
Cart-el." 

After  the  prisoners   had   succeeded  in  getting 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  163 

out  of  the  stockade,  they  had  a  greater  difficulty 
to  surmount  in  evading  the  pack  of  bloodhounds, 
which  was  constantly  kept  at  headquarters,  to 
hunt  down  escaped  prisoners.  Three  or  four 
weeks  before  we  arrived,  fifteen  officers  made 
their  escape  one  stormy  night,  but  in  less  than 
forty-eight  hours,  thirteeen  had  been  recaptured 
by  the  hounds.  Duganne,  in  "Camps  and 
Prisons,"  gives  the  following  description  of  the 
last  one  that  was  retaken  : 

"  Lieut.  Collins,  a  fine  western  officer,  was 
nearly  murdered  by  them.  He  had  stopped  to 
rest,  when  the  deep  howl  of  dogs  apprised  him  of 
pursuit.  Ere  he  could  make  away,  two  rebels 
rode  upon  him.  A  brace  of  six-shooters  were 
leveled  at  his  breast,  and  the  accustomed  threat, 
with  a  huge  oath,  of  shooting  on  the  spot,  was 
flung  at  him.  "We'll  give  the  dogs  a  taste  of  your 
infernal  Yankee  blood.  Seize  him  !  Shake  him  !" 
The  furious  hounds,  thus  encouraged,  sprang  at 
Lieut.  Collins;  their  glittering  white  teeth,  with 
white  foam  gathered  on  their  fiery  gums,  met  in 
his  ragged  uniform.  He  felt  the  tearing  of  his 
garments,  and  expected  momentarily  to  bleed  ; 
when  the  rebels,  with  malicious  laughter,  called  off 
their  hounds.  "You  see,  Yank,  they'd  as  soon  eat 
Yank  as  nigger.  Now  jes'  tote  yer  carcass,  Yank, 
or  we'll  shoot  you  on  sight,  by ." 

"  To  fully  realize  and  appreciate  these  'dogs  of 
war,'  one  ought  to  be  hunted  and  a  fugitive,  like 
Lieut.  Collins   and   his  compatriots.     While  sink- 


164  HISTORY   OF   THE 

ing  with  fatigue,  spent  with  privation,  hopeless  of 
escape,  to  hear  the  wolf-like  yelp  and  long,  hyena 
howl  of  these  trained  man-hunters,  is  something 
to  experience.  Some  hounds  will  track  a  human 
being,  day  and  night,  for  weeks,  and  follow  his 
scent,  especially  if  it  be  a  negro,  hundreds  of 
miles,  through  swamps  and  woods  and  over  water- 
courses. They  are  at  times  like  game-dogs, 
smelling  the  ground  at  intervals,  making  deer- 
leaps,  springing  up  to  touch  the  overhanging 
leaves  with  their  nose,  they  double  and  dart 
around  in  circles,  cross  a  stream,  and  then,  with 
a  few  sniffs  of  the  air,  rush  up  or  down  the  bank 
to  find  their  broken  scent  again. 

"The  quickness  of  their  smell  is  quite  as 
wonderful  as  its  tenacity.  When  a  negro  or  a 
white  man  is  to  be  pursued,  the  dogs  are  simply 
taken  to  the  trail  and  made  to  nose  it.  The  real 
hounds  are  never  allowed  to  hunt  down  any  game 
inferior  to  man.  When  not  in  use,  they  are 
chained  up  and  kept  on  starving  rations.  They 
grow  fierce  as  tigers,  with  forced  abstinence,  and 
their  scent  becomes  acute  in  the  extreme.  Woe 
to  the  hunted  man,  if  hunger-maddened  hounds 
overtake  him  in  the  swamps  or  timber,  while  the 
mounted  pursuers  are  too  far  behind  to  call  them 
off  or  moderate  their  savage  eagerness.  Woe  to 
the  fugitive  if  the  sleuth-dogs  once  taste  his 
blood  !" 

The  rebels  tried  on  all  occasions,  by  misrepresen- 
tation, to  make  the  prisoners  believe  that  it  was  the 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 65 

fault  of  our  Government  that  we  were  not  ex- 
changed, which,  in  the  absence  of  any  proof  to 
the  contrary,  was  accepted  as  the  truth  by  many, 
and  naturally  caused  some  dissatisfaction.  Be- 
sides, the  rebels  offered  great  inducements  to  our 
soldiers  to  desert.  Mechanics,  of  all  kinds,  were 
tempted  with  promises  of  steady  work  at  big 
wages ;  but  to  their  credit  be  it  said,  in  spite  of 
their  longing  for  liberty,  coupled  with  the  depri- 
vations in  prison,  but  few  accepted  these  offers. 
One  prisoner  begged  to  be  let  out,  on  any  condi- 
tions that  the  rebels  might  name.  He  had  quar- 
reled with  his  best  friend  about  a  loaf  of  corn 
bread,  and  in  a  fit  of  anger  had  struck  him  behind 
the  ear  with  his  fist,  with  such  force  that  he  drop- 
ped dead  at  his  feet.  He  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  Confederacy,  and  was  let  out  of  pris- 
on.    We  never  heard  from  him  afterward. 

When  we  were  captured,  our  color-bearer,  Isaac 
Scott,  tore  the  regimental  flag  from  the  staff,  and 
gave  it  to  his  mess-mate,  to  conceal  in  his  haver- 
sack. He  was  left  sick  on  the  way  to  prison,  and 
did  not  arrive  for  some  time  after,  but  through  all 
his  sickness  he  clung  to  the  flag,  and  upon  arriv- 
ing at  Camp  Ford,  delivered  it  to  the  officers  of  the 
Regiment  for  safe  keeping.  A  hole  was  dug  in- 
side of  our  shanty,  in  which  we  buried  the  flag. 
But  the  rebels  found  out,  through  some  means, 
that  there  was  a  Union  flag  in  camp.  They  search- 
ed for  it  on  several  occasions,  but  failed  to  discov- 
er  it.     To    keep    our    large,    beautiful    silk    flag 


1 66  HISTORY    OF   THE 

buried,  would  soon  have  ruined  it,  therefore  it 
was  sewed  up  in  Capt.  Gunsaullus's  blouse.  He 
wore  it  among  the  rebels,  with  the  flag  sewed  in- 
side the  lining.  The  flag  was  shown  secretly  to  a 
number  of  prisoners,  some  of  whom  had  been  in 
captivity  for  nearly  two  years,  and  their  eyes 
glistened  at  the  sight  of  that  "Emblem  of  Free- 
dom." 

The  rebels  furnished  us  with  a  few  kettles  and 
old  axes.  Everything  else  we  had  to  provide  our- 
selves, in  the  best  way  we  could.  For  wash-tubs 
we  made  troughs  ;  for  wash-boards  we  cut  ridges 
in  boards.  Our  army  being  composed  of  men  oi 
every  trade,  in  a  short  time  most  of  them  were  at 
work,  contriving  something  pertaining  to  theii 
several  handicrafts.  There  was  the  tailor,  the 
shoemaker,  the  watch-maker,  the  turner,  with  his 
lathe,  who  made  chess,  checkers  and  other  arti- 
cles ;  and  the  baker,  who  made  leather  biscuits 
at  twenty  cents  apiece,  or  a  pie  for  a  dollar.  '  The 
most  extensive  industries  were  the  manufacture  oi 
stools  and  arm-chairs,  and  plaiting  straw  for  sum- 
mer hats.  There  were  also  brokers,  who  ex- 
changed Confederate  money  for  coin  and  "Green- 
backs," giving  forty  dollars  in  exchange  for  the 
former,  and  seven  for  the  latter — loaning  money 
at  fifty  per  cent.,  payable  when  exchanged.  There 
were  also  dealers  in  tobacco,  buttons,  etc. 

For  amusements,  we  had  chess  and  checkers. 
We  also  had  religious  services  every  Sabbath,  as 
long  as  the  chaplains  remained,  and  prayer  meet- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  167 

ings  twice  a  week.  And  last,  but  not  least,  the 
printer  was  there  with  his  paper,  called  "The 
Camp  Ford  News,"  which  was  published  oscasion- 
ally  by  Lieut.  Hughes,  of  the  28th  Iowa.  The  let- 
ters were  made  with  a  pen,  in  imitation  of  printers' 
type.  The  paper  was  quite  a  success,  and  was  the 
source  of  much  amusement. 

Our  rations,  which  consisted  of  one  pint  of  corn 
meal  and  about  half  a  pound  of  fresh  beef,  (salt 
was  issued  in  such  small  quantities  that  it  scarcely 
deserves  mention,)  were  brought  in  every  morning 
in  bulk,  and  divided  at  the  "Public  Square,"  Capt. 
Joe  Stevison,  of  the  77th  Ills.,  superintending  the 
thankless  task  very  satisfactorily.  His  services 
will  be  kindly  remembered  by  all.  Provisions 
could  be  bought  of  the  old  planters  in  the  vicinity, 
but  at  enormous  prices — corn  meal  from  five  to 
eight  dollars  a  bushel ;  flour  two  and  a  half  dollars 
a  pound ;  salt  from  one  to  two  dollars  a  pint ;  ba- 
con one  dollar  a  pound  ;  while  co.ffee,  sugar,  but- 
ter and  chickens  were  not  in  the  market,  except 
at  such  fabulous  prices  that  the  prisoners  were  un- 
able to  purchase,  except  in  small  quantities,  and 
then  not  often. 

One  day  an  old  citizen,  accompanied  by  a  guard, 
came  in  with  a  cart-load  of  provisions  to  dispose 
of.  A  crowd  soon  gathered  around  him,  climbing 
up  on  his  cart  and  mule,  and  filling  every  avail- 
able space.  While  he  was  busily  engaged,  selling 
to  the  prisoners,  who  were  crowding  and  thrust- 
ing by  the  handful  their  Confederate  scrip,  in  ex- 


1 68  HISTORY    OF   THE 

change  for  his  produce,  some  one  pulled  out  the 
dumping-pin,  and  away  went  the  old  man,  guard, 
gun,  bacon,  chickens,  meal,  etc.,  to  the  ground. 
When  he  regained  his  feet,  everything  had  disap- 
peared but  the  mule  and  cart.  He  had  even  lost 
his  pocket-book  and  hat. 

In  regard  to  the  treatment  of  the  prisoners,  it 
was  generally  bad,  and  in  some  cases  brutal  and 
even  cruel  to  the  last  degree.  Calvert,  of  the  77th 
Ohio,  was  shot  by  the  guard,  merely  to  try  his 
markmanship.  O.  S.  Shoemaker,  of  the  130'th 
Illinois,  formerly  from  near  Lynchburg,  Ohio,  was 
shot  through  and  killed,  while  conversing  on  a 
religious  subject  with  a  comrade.  A  member  of 
the  173d  New  York,  while  running  after  his  hat, 
which  had  blown  off,  was  fired  at  by  one  of  the 
guards  with  a  shot-gun,  and  the  entire  charge 
lodged  in  his  face  and  shoulders. 

About  the  10th  of  August,  the  rebel  papers  an- 
nounced that  there  would  be  no  more  exchange 
of  prisoners,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  concern- 
ing the  exchange  of  negro  soldiers,  which  natur- 
ally caused  many  to  think  about  making  their  es- 
cape. On  the  20th  of  August,  Maj.  Bering  and 
Lieut.  Srofe  forged  a  pass,  and  left  Camp  Ford 
for  Little  Rock,  Ark.  The  account  of  their  ad- 
ventures will  be  found  at  the  close  of  the  history 
of  the  Regiment. 

The  day  after  they  made  their  escape,  the 
Commander  of  the  Prison,  Col.  Border,  was 
relieved     by  Col.    Sweet.     The    prisoners    were 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 69 

all  drawn  up  in  line,  preparatory  to  being 
turned  over  to  our  new  commander.  All  who 
had  escaped,  up  to  this  time,  had  been  ac- 
counted for  in  various  ways,  but  the  number  had 
now  become  too  large.  We  therefore  concluded 
to  account  only  for  those  present,  knowing  that 
they  would  not  find  out  when  the  absentees  es- 
caped or  how  long  they  had  been  gone.  The 
first  name  called,  of  the  absentees,  was  that  of 
Maj.  Bering.  The  answer  was,  "Taken  a  French." 
The  next,  Lieut.  Srofe,  and  so  on,  until  they  found 
out  for  the  first  time  that  no  less  than  twenty- 
four  officers  had  made  their  escape,  but  had  here- 
tofore been  successfully  accounted  for  as  present. 
At  first  they  treated  the  discovery  as  a  joke,  but 
when  it  reached  so  large  a  number  they  were 
vexed,  and  they  afterwards  instructed  their  roll- 
callers  not  to  accept  the  word  of  any  prisoner  for 
the  whereabouts  of  an  officer,  but  to  see  each  in 
person.  However,  they  soon  found  it  too  difficult 
to  hunt  up  every  one  that  was  not  present,  and 
dropped  into  the  old  way  again. 

With  the  new  commander  came  new  guards, 
who  were  old  men  above  fifty,  taken  from  the 
rebel  reserve.  They  were  very  vigilant,  and  es- 
capes were  less  frequent. 

Although  a  large  number  of  the  men  suffered 
considerably  with  sore  eyes,  scurvy  and  dysentery, 
the  Regiment  lost  but  three  from  sickness  while  in 
prison,  Moore,  of  Co.  B,  James  Purdy,  Co.  C,  and 
M.  Nash,    Co.  G.     This   was   owing   in    a   great 


I70  HISTORY   OF   THE 

measure  to  their  energy,  in  building  huts,  caves  or 
shelters;  to  their  long  service,  and  the  spirit  of 
"never  despair,"  peculiar  to  the  Western  troops. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  171 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Paroled — Leaving  Camp  Ford — Arrival  at  Four-Mile 
Spring — Maj.  Bering  and  Lieut.  Srofe  on  Their  Way 
Back  to  Prison — Journey  •  to  Grand  Ecore — Camped  at 
Alexandria — Arrival  at  the  Mississippi — Exchanged — 
The  Old  Flag— New  Orleans — Col.  Dwight— Natchez- 
Provost  Guard — Consolidated  with  the  83d  Ohio — 
Home  on  Veteran  Furlough. 

numerous  reports  of  exchange,  at  last 
the  paroling  officer,  Capt.  Birchett,  arrived 
with  orders  from  the  Commissioner  of  Exchange 
to  parole  about  seven  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners, 
and  take  them  to  the  mouth  of  Red  river  for  ex- 
change. He  selected  the  19th  Ky.  and  48th  Ohio 
regiments,  and  a  number  of  small  squads  and  in- 
dividual members  of  different  commands.  We 
signed  the  parole  on  the  30th  of  September, 
1864.  The  condition  of  the  parole  was  not  to 
bear  arms  against  their  government  until  duly  ex- 
changed. 

The  next  day,  Oct.  1st,  we  left  Camp  Ford  for 
Shreveport,  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  distant, 
where  we  arrived  after  five  days'  weary  march, 
foot-sore  and  tired.  We  camped  at  Four  Mile 
Spring  one  week,  waiting  for  boats  to  take  us 
down  Red  river.  While  here  we  were  granted 
the  freedom  of  the  camp,  with  the   warning,  that 


172  HISTORY    OF   THE 

if  anyone  was  found  over  one  hundred  yards  from 
camp  he  would  be  sent  back  to  prison.  A  few 
days  after  our  arrival,  we  learned  from  Capt.  Bir- 
chett,  rebel  paroling  officer,  that  Maj.  Bering 
and  Lieut.  Srofe  had  been  recaptured  and  were  at 
Shreveport,  on  their  way  back  to  prison.  In  a 
few  days  they  passed  us,  with  about  two  hundred 
others,  on  their  way  back  to  Camp  Ford.  They  re- 
ceived their  letters,  which  had  arrived  at  Camp 
Ford  during  their  absence,  and  proceeded  on 
their  way,  looking  sad  and  weary.  But  they  had 
the  sympathy  of  the  whole  Regiment,  and  there 
was  many  a  regret  that  they  could  not  accompany 
the  Regiment  on  its  way  to  freedom,  instead  of 
returning  back  to  prison. 

On  the  nth  of  October,  about  half  the  prison- 
ers started  on  foot  to  Grand  Ecore;  the  other 
half  went  by  boats.  From  there  all  went  by 
steamer  to  Alexandria.  Here  we  disembarked 
and  camped  until  Oct.  2 2d,  when  we  were  again 
ordered  aboard  and  taken  down  the  stream  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  Mississippi.  Here  we 
remained  until  Sunday  evening,  the  23d,  when 
the  boats  started  with  us  for  the  Mississippi,  which 
we  entered  at  4  P.  M.  Passing  down  a  short  dis- 
tance, we  landed  under  the  "stars  and  stripes" 
once  more.  With  light  hearts  we  stepped  off  the 
rebel  craft,  and  were  turned  over  to  Col.  Dwight, 
our  Commissioner  of  Exchange.  He  ordered  us 
on  board  the  St.  Mary's,  where  a  band  of  music 
from    New   Orleans,   and    a  number   of  ladies — 


FORTY-EIGHTH   0.  V.  V.    1.  173 

wives  of  Union  officers — were  awaiting  out  ar- 
rival. 

We  immediately  boarded  the  vessel,  and 
proceeded  to  the  upper  deck.  The  old  flag 
was  torn  from  its  place  of  concealment,  (Capt. 
Gunsaukis'  blouse)  and  hastily  tied  to  a  staff  pre- 
pared for  the  occasion.  At  this  signal  the  band 
struck  up  the  "Star-Spangled  Banner,"  and  the 
old  flag  of  the  48th  was  unfurled  to  the  breeze, 
with  waving  handkerchiefs  and  amid  the  wild 
shouts  and  deafening  cheers  of  the  released  pris- 
oners and  groans  of  the  rebel  guards.  But  no 
words  of  "tongue  or  pen"  can  convey  the  emotions 
of  that  hour.  It  was  an  inspiring  scene,  and  one 
that  never  will  be  forgotten  by  those  who  wit- 
nessed  it.  The  flag  was  afterwards  placed  in  the 
flag-room  of  the  State-House  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
where  it  now  remains. 

The  rebel  Assistant  Agent  of  Exchange,  Capt. 
Birchett,  on  his  return  to  Camp  Ford,  related  to 
the  prisoners  how  the  flag  of  the  48th  Ohio,  in 
his  presence,  was  torn  from  the  coat  of  one  of  the 
officers,  after  they  were  exchanged  at  the  mouth  of 
Red  river.  He  said  it  was  one  of  the  most  ex^ 
citing  scenes  he  ever  witnessed,  and  that  the 
Regiment  deserved  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  pre 
serving  their  colors  during  their  imprisonment. 

Soon  after  boarding  our  boat  the  musty  corn 
bread  and  tough  salt  beef  was  thrown  away,  and 
we  eagerly  partook  of  our  regular  rations 
once  more. 


1 74  HISTORY   OP  THE 

In' the  evening  the  rebel  boats  came  alongside 
the  St.  Mary's,  and  their  Commissioner  of  Ex- 
change,  Col.  Szymanski,  and  Capt.  Birchett,  pa- 
roling officer,  came  aboard,  to  arrange  with  Col. 
Dwight  for  the  next  exchange.  Here  they  were 
feasted  on  the  best  the  boat  afforded,  by  the  offi- 
cers of  our  Regiment,  in  the  hope  that  they  would 
keep  their  promise  and  include  Maj.  "Bering  and 
Lieut.  Srofe  in  the  next  exchange,  but  it  was  all  in 
vain ;  the  promise  was  never  fulfilled. 

The  rebels  returned  up  Red  river,  and  we  pro* 
ceeded  to  New  Orleans,  where  we  arrived  the 
24th.  After  disembarking,  we  were  sent  to  the 
parole  camp,  by  way  of  the  back  streets  and 
alleys,  being  too  ragged  to  be  seen.  Here  the 
prisoners  were  furnished  with  new  clothing,  after 
which  passes  were  issued,  and  they  were  allowed 
the  freedom  of  the  city. 

The  Paymaster,  who  had  paid  the  remnant  of 
the  Regiment  at  Natchez,  a  short  time  previous. 
Very  kindly  paid  the  officers  two  months'  pay, 
which  enabled  them  to  obtain  a  change  of  cloth* 
ing. 

Here,  with  regret,  we  parted  with  the  19th  Ken- 
tucky, a  regiment  with  whom  we  had  been  asso- 
ciated for  nearly  two  years.  The  friendly  feeling 
which  had  existed  between  the  two  regiments, 
was  manifested  on  all  occasions.  During  that 
time  we  had  stood  side  by  side  in  every  siege  and 
battle ;  sharing  alike  victory  and  defeat,  until 
now  we  bade  them  adieu.     Great  praise  is  due  to 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.    t.  1 75 

3uch  brave  and  patriotic  men,  who  stood  up 
for  the  Union,  in  the  dark  hours  of  our  National 
existence.  Although  from  a  slave  State,  and  many 
of  them  owning  slaves,  they  did  not  hesitate  to 
rally  round  the  old  flag  at  their  country's  call. 

Shortly  after  the  prisoners  arrived  at  New  Or^ 
leans,  the  officers  were  invited  by  Col.  Dwight, 
our  Commissioner  of  Exchange,  to  visit  him  at 
his  office.  We  accepted  the  invitation,  and  met 
the  Commissioner,  who  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome. 
After  partaking  of  refreshments,  we  passed  the 
evening  in  relating  to  him  the  details  of  our  prison 
life  in  Texas.  The  Commissioner  explained  the 
difficulties  he  had  encountered  in  making  the  ex- 
change, but  thought  he  had  effected  an  arrange- 
ment whereby  another  lot  of  three  or  four  hun- 
dred would  be  exchanged  soon.  He  also  inform- 
ed us  that  all  the  exchanged  prisoners  would  be 
granted  a  prison  furlough  of  thirty  days. 

Most  of  the  48th  were  veterans,  who  were  still 
entitled  to  their  veteran  furlough  of  "thirty  days 
in  the  State,"  and  the  time  of  those  that  were 
not  veterans  had  expired,  therefore  none  of  ouf 
Regiment  availed  themselves  of  the  prison  fur- 
lough, but  remained  at  New  Orleans  until  Novem- 
ber 2d,  when  we  were  ordered  to  Natchez,  Mis- 
sissippi, where  Col.  Parker,  with  the  remnant  of  the 
Regiment,  was  on  provost-guard.  We  arrived  on 
the  3d,  and  were  welcomed  back  by  those  who  es- 
caped our  fate. 

Col.    Parker,    who    had    rejoined    the  army    at 


I?6  HISTORY  Ot  THE 

Grand  Ecore,  shortly  after  the  capture  of  the 
Regiment,  was  put  in  command  of  the  remnant  of 
the  brigade  during  the  retreat  down  Red  river. 
They  were  finally  sent  to  New  Orleans,  where  the 
Colonel,  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  obtained  fur^ 
loughs  for  the  veterans  of  the  Regiment  who  had 
escaped  capture,  and  those  who  had  rejoined  from 
sick-leave  and  cfetached  duty,  and  took  them 
home.  Before  leaving,  they  procured  quite  a  gay 
uniform,  in  which  they  made  a  handsome  appear- 
ance. Upon  arriving  at  Cincinnati  they  were  pa- 
raded through  the  streets  to  the  Fifth  Street  Bar- 
racks, where  they  were  quartered. 

The  following  editorial  appeared  in  the  Cincin* 
ftati  Times,  of  August  4th,  1864  : 

"the  brave  48TH  OHIO. 

"This  noble  Regiment,  all  that  is  left  of  it— * 
ninety-four  men — arrived  in  the  city  yesterday 
morning,  and  marched  to  the  Fifth  Street  Bar- 
racks. They  come  home  as  re-enlisted  veterans, 
to  enjoy  their  thirty  days'  furlough,  and  then  re- 
turn to  the  field  of  strife.  Three  years  since,  the 
48th  left  Camp  Dennison,  960  strong.  It  returns 
to  us  ninety-four  men,  all  the  rest  being  wounded, 
prisoners,  or  among  the  gallant  dead.  During  the 
late  Red  River  Expedition,  this  Regiment  lost 
190  of  its  few  remaining  men,  and  every  one 
of  its  commissioned  officers,  with  the  exception 
of  its  Colonel,  one  Captain  and  one  Lieutenant. 
Previous  to  leaving  New  Orleans,  the  furloughed 


FORTY-EIGHTH    0.  V.  V.    I.  17  7 

men  fitted  themselves  out  with  an  elegant  and  pe- 
culiar uniform.  They  leave  to  day  for  their 
homes.  Col.  J.  R.  Parker,  who  commands  this  or- 
ganization, has  good  cause  to  be  proud  of  it." 

While  at  home,  they  obtained  eighty  new  re- 
cruits, and  on  their  way  back  to  New  Orleans, 
their  boat  was  fired  into  by  guerrillas,  which  mor- 
tally wounded  W  H.  Osborn,  of  Co.  B,  and  S.  H. 
Raper,  of  Co.  K.  This  occurred  a  short  distance 
above  Vicksburg.  They  were  left  at  the  hospital 
at  that  place,  where  they  died  soon  after. 

Upon  arriving  at  New  Orleans,  they  were  as- 
signed the  duty  of  guarding  the  rebel  prisoners, 
who  were  confined  in  the  cotton  presses.  They 
were  relieved  from  this  duty  by  the  remnant  of 
the  77th  Ills.,  and  moved  up  to  Natchez,  Miss.,  on 
the  steamer  "Jennie  Rogers,"  where  they  arrived 
on  the  14th  of  October.  They  relieved  the  29th 
Ills.,  who  were  on  provost-guard,  and  occupied  the 
Court  House  as  quarters,  when  we  rejoined  them 
at  Natchez.  The  Reg't.  remained  on  provost-duty, 
occasionally  going  out  on  picket,  until  Nov.  19th, 
when  the  48th  Ohio,  97th  Ills.,  69th  Ind.,  and  26th 
Ohio  Battery,  under  command  of  Col.  Parker, 
were  ordered  on  a  scouting  expedition,  on  the 
Woodville  road. 

Rainy  weather  set  in,  and  the  roads  becoming 
impassable  for  the  artillery  to  proceed,  the  expedi- 
tion was  abandoned  after  a  few  days  absence,  and 
we  returned  to  camp,  bringing  all  the  forage  the 

teams  could  haul. 

I 


178  HISTORY    OF   THE 

After  two  unsuccessful  attempts  to  obtain  our 
veteran  furlough,  at  last  the  necessary  papers 
were  forwarded  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  for  the  ap- 
proval  of  the  Commanding  General. 

On  the  first  of  January,  1865,  we  received  or- 
ders from  Gen.  Canby,  through  Gen.  Brayman, 
Commander  of  the  Post,  consolidating  our  Regi- 
ment with  the  83d  Ohio.  The  following  is  a 
copy : 

"  Headquarters  Military  Division,     ^ 

West  Miss.,  New  Orleans,  La.,  I 

December  26,  1864.  _) 

extract. 

"Special  Orders,  No.  224. 

******** 

"VI.  Under  the  provisions  of  General  Order 
No.  86,  series  of  1863,  War  Department,  Adjutant 
General's  Office,  the  following  named  regiments 
will  be  consolidated,  viz  :  48th  Ohio  Vet.  Vol.  In- 
fantry; 83d  Ohio  Vol.  Infantry. 

"VII.  The  Battalions  of  the  48th  and  83d 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  will  be  consolidated  into 
ten  companies,  to  be  designated  as  the  83d  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  All  supernumeraries,  com- 
missioned and  non-commissioned  officers,  will  be 
mustered  out  as  of  date  of  the  consolidation.  Brig. 
Gen'l.  Brayman,  Commanding  District  of  Natchez, 
is  charged  with  the  execution  of  this  order.  *  * 
"  By  command  of  Maj.  Gen.  CANBY. 

"  C.  F.  Christensen,  Lt.  Col.  &  A.  A.  G." 

This  order  did  not   take  effect  until  the  17th  of 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 79 

January,  1865.  The  ten  companies  of  the  48th 
Ohio  were  consolidated  into  four,  and  those  of  the 
83d  Ohio  into  six  companies.  The  field  officers  of 
the  83d  were  retained,  mustering  out  of  service  the 
following  officers  of  the  48th  Ohio  :  Col.  J.  R. 
Parker,  Lieut.  Col.  J.W  Lindsay;  Captains  Cyrus 
Hussey,  James  Sowry  and  Thomas  Montgomery; 
Lieut.  H.  W.  Day,  Hospital  Steward  Jos.  H.  Gra- 
vatt,  and  Serg't.  Maj.  W.  A.  Pratt,  and  all  super- 
numerary non-commissioned  officers  of  each  com- 
pany. Maj.  J.  A.  Bering  was  included  in  the  mus- 
ter-out, but  being  confined  in  prison,  he  was  not 
mustered  out  until  after  his  release,  June  16,  1865. 
The  companies  lost  their  identity  after  the  consoli- 
dation. 

This  order  of  consolidation  was  an  act  of  injus- 
tice to  the  Regiment,  for  we  were  promised  the 
continuation  of  the  organization  through  the  war 
on  account  of  two  thirds  re-enlisting,  and  the  offi- 
cers and  men  regarded  it  as  showing  bad  faith  on 
the  part  of  the  Government. 

Company  E,  which  had  been  the  color- company 
during  the  entire  service,  delivered  the  flag  of  the 
Regiment  to  Col.  Parker,  who  brought  it  home  and 
retained  possession  of  it  until  his  death,  which 
took  place  December  5,  1865.  Mrs.  Parker,  upon 
the  request  of  the  members  of  Company  A,  de- 
livered the  flag  to  E.  T.  Rayburn,of  New  Lexington, 
Highland  county,  Ohio,  where  it  still  remains. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1865,  the  prison  veterans 
received  their  long-promised  furlough,  and  started 


180  HISTORY   OF   THE 

on  the  first  steamer  for  home.  We  arrived  at  Cairo 
on  the  evening  of  the  ioth,  and  Cincinnati  at  4  A. 
M.  on  the  12th,  after  an  absence  of  over  three 
years.  Upon  receiving  transportation,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Regiment  separated  for  their  respective 
homes,  where  the  old  Veterans  received  a  merited 
hearty  welcome  from  their  friends,  which  was  one 
continued  feast  and  ovation  until  they  returned  to 
active  service  again. 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  151 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Preparation  for  Active  Service  Again — Brigaded  with 
Colored  Troops — Embarking  for  New  Orleans — Arrival 
at  Barrancas,  Fla. —  Prison  Veterans  Rejoin  from  Fur- 
lough— Pensacola — Fort  Blakely  Invested — The  Charge 
and  Capture — Up  the  Alabama  River — Selma — Return 
to  Mobile — Explosion  of  Rebel  Ammunition — Ordered 
to  Texas — Arrival  at  Galveston — Mustered  Out  of  the 
83d  Ohio— The  Old  48th  Ohio  Itself  Again— Ordered  to 
Houston — Break-Bone  Fever — Back  to  Galveston — Pro- 
motions— On  Various  Duties — Final  Muster-Out — Ar- 
rival at  Columbus — Home  and  a  Quiet  Life — Reid's 
History  of  the  4Sth  Ohio — Testimonials  of  Brigade  and 
Division  Commanders. 

lYF^HE  incidents  and  adventures  of  the  Regi- 
IMA  ment,  from  the  consolidation  until  the  close 
of  the  war  and  final  muster-out.  were  furnished  by 
Lieut.  James  Douglas,  of  Alt.  Auburn,  Cincinnati, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Regiment,  and  served 
the  entire  term. 

"Immediately  after  the  consolidation,  the  Regi- 
ment was  brigaded  with  the  77th  and  58th  U  S. 
Colored  Troops,  and  went  into  camp  on  the  Quit- 
man farm,  back  of  the  city,  under  command  of 
Brig.  Gen.  Davidson.  On  the  28th  of  January,  or- 
ders came  to  break  camp  and  embark  on  the 
steamer  Grey  Eagle.  This  was  accomplished  by 
midnight.     The  following  day  found  us  going  down 


162  HISTORY    OF   THE 

the  Mississippi,  en  route  for  New  Orleans.  On  the 
30th  we  disembarked  at  the  lower  part  of  the  city, 
near  the  Lake  Pontcharlrain  depot.  We  boarded 
the  train,  which  took  us  to  Lakeport.  There  we 
embarked  on  the  ocean  steamer  "Alabama,  "  and 
midnight  of  the  same  day  found  our  vessel  steam- 
ing down  Lake  Pontchartrain.  On  the  31st,  we 
passed  through  Lake  Borgne,  thence  into  Missis- 
sippi Sound,  making  a  short  stop  at  Pensacola, 
Fla.  From  there  into  the  Gulf,  finally  landing  at 
Barrancas,  opposite  Ft.  Pickens,  Fla.,  on  the  1st 
day  of  February,  at  which  place  we  disembarked 
and  went  into  camp,  forming  a  part  of  the  3d  Brig- 
ade, 2d  Division  13th  A.  C,  which  composed  a 
part  of  the  right  wing  of  the  army  moving  against 
the  defenses  of  Mobile.  The  Brigade  was  com- 
manded by  Col.  F.  W-  More,  of  the  83d  Ohio, 
which  left  Lieut.  Col.  W.  H.  Baldwin  in  command 
of  the  Regiment.  We  remained  at  Barrancas,  Fla., 
some  time,  organizing  and  preparing  for  an  active 
campaign.  While  here,  the  Prison  Veterans  re- 
joined from  their  furlough,  and  were  assigned  to 
their  respective  companies,  under  the  new  organi- 
zation. 

"On  the  10th  of  March,  we  broke  camp  and 
marched  around  a  portion  of  Pensacola  Bay,  to 
Pensacola,  where  we  arrived  the  same  day  and 
went  into  camp  near  the  railroad.  We  remained 
in  camp  until  the  20th  of  February,  when  we  again 
took  up  the  line  of  march,  moving  up  the  Mont- 
gomery railroad,  through  the  pine   swamp,   in  a 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 83 

northerly  direction.  The  campaign  will  be  re- 
membered by  those  engaged  in  it,  as  it  differed 
from  any  previous  one.  The  route  lay  through  al- 
most impassable  pine  swamps.  The  men  carried 
80  rounds  of  ammunition,  an  ax  to  every  fourth 
man,  an  extra  pair  of  shoes,  and  ten  days'  rations 
each.  The  ground  was  of  a  quicksand  nature, 
and  we  were  frequently  obliged  to  pull  wagons 
and  mules  out  with  long  ropes.  We  cut  down 
trees,  and  built  miles  of  corduroy  roads  at  the  worst 
places.  It  was  slow  marching,  with  constant  fa- 
tigue duties,  lasting  far  into  the  night.  To  make 
matters  worse,  the  first  night  out  from  Pensacola, 
a  violent  rain-storm  set  in,  damaging  the  provis- 
ions we  carried,  and  after  our  ten  days  were  up 
we  were  placed  on  one-fourth  rations. 

"On  the  26th  our  advance  met  the  enemy  at  Es- 
cambia river,  defeating  them,  and  capturing  120 
rebels  and  the  rebel  Gen.  Clayton,  who  was  wound- 
ed. We  captured  Pollard  also,  a  railroad  junction, 
two  trains  of  cars,  a  rebel  paymaster,  and  some 
more  prisoners.  After  this  our  route  lay  due 
west,  but  the  roads  were  not  much  better.  We 
arrived  at  Stockton  on  the  31st  of  March,  and 
the  2d  of  April  found  us  driving  the  rebel  skir- 
mishers into  their  works  at  Fort  Blakely,  Ala. 

"  It  was  a  beautiful  day.  The  troops  were  all 
brought  to  the  front,  and  preparations  made  for  a 
charge.  We  formed  01  masse,  one  brigade  di- 
rectly in  the  rear  of  the  other,  thus  forming  a 
solid  column.     Extra  ammunition  was  distributed. 


184  HISTORY    OF   THE 

and  the  musicians  were  formed  into  a  hospital 
corps,  with  stretchers.  In  this  position  we  stacked 
arms,  under  a  heavy  artillery  fire  from  the  enemy. 

"  While  thus  waiting  in  suspense,  an  order  came 
to  change  our  position,  and  towards  evening  our 
Division  moved  to  the  left,  in  the  woods,  occupy- 
ing the  center  of  the  army.  The  following  day 
we  began  to  invest  Fort  Blakely,  driving  the  enemy 
closer  to  their  works,  our  Regiment  taking  a  posi- 
tion in  a  ravine,  where  we  remained  until  the 
final  charge,  in  the  meantime  performing  constant 
fatigue  and  picket  duty,  resembling  those  duties 
at  Vicksburg,  only  we  were  not  so  well  protected. 

"  On  the  9th  of  April  we  were  formed  in  line  of 
battle  in  our  rifle-pits.  One  regiment  from  each 
brigade  was  selected  to  deploy  as  skirmishers ; 
our  Regiment  being  selected  from  our  brigade. 
Owing  to  the  formation  of  the  ground,  we  marched 
left  in  front.  It  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  the  vast 
army,  prepared  for  a  charge.  Word  was  passed 
along  the  line  for  the  skirmishers  to  advance  at 
the  bugle  signal,  and  the  main  line  to  advance,  if 
necessary,  when  the  bugle  sounded.  We  ad- 
vanced in  skirmish- order,  a  distance  of  500  yards, 
under  a  heavy  fire  of  artillery,  and  a  musketry 
cross-fire,  over  fallen  timber,  sunken  torpedoes, 
and  a  double  line  of  strong  abattis  works,  going 
through  and  over  the  rebel  forts,  in  the  face  of  a 
deadly  fire,  without  the  assistance  of  the  rerserve, 
although  they  were  ready  to  support  us  if  we  failed. 
The  rebel  gunners  left  some  of  their  pieces  partly 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 85 

loaded.  Some  of  the  rebels  surrendered  and 
others  fled.  The  Regiment  captured  two  forts, 
eight  cannon,  two  mortars,  a  long  line  of  breast- 
works, eight  hundred  prisoners,  two  flags,  and 
a  large  quantity  of  small  arms,  ammunition  and 
other  stores.  The  colors  were  riddled,  both  staffs 
were  shot  in  two,  but  the  color-bearers  gallantly 
carried  the  flags  over  the  parapet  of  the  fort. 
The  Regiment  lost  36  officers  and  men,  in  killed 
and  wounded. 

"This  victory  gave  us  possession  of  Mobile  and 
its  defenses,  and  cut  the  Confederacy  in  two.  We 
remained  at  Fort  Blakely  until  the  20th  of  April, 
when  we  embarked  and  moved  across  to  Mobile, 
at  which  place  we  formed  a  part  of  a  fleet  moving 
up  the  Alabama  river.  The  army  was  divided 
into  three  columns,  the  16th  Corps  and  Grierson's 
cavalry  moving  north  from  Fort  Blakely  to  Mont- 
gomery, Ala.,  Gen.  Benton's  Division,  13th  A.  C, 
moving  north  up  the  railroad,  and  our  Division, 
under  Gen.  Anderson,  and  Hawkins'  Colored 
Division,  moving  up  the  river  in  a  fleet  of  trans- 
ports. Our  Regiment  embarked  seven  compa- 
nies on  the  "Gov.  Cowels,"  and  the  other  three  on 
the  "St.  Charles,"  the  latter  a  rebel  blockade- 
runner. 

"  We  had  a  very  pleasant  time  going  up  the  river. 
We  were  allowed  plenty  of  liberty,  the  country 
was  rich  in  provisions,  and  we  made  use  of  it. 
We  were  fired  into  once,  and  retaliated.  This 
was  the  last  time  the  Regiment  was  fired  at.     On 


1 86  HISTORY    OF   THE 

the  27th  of  April  we  reached  Selma,  Ala.,  and  went 
into  camp  near  the  grave-yard,  just  inside  the 
rebel  works.  The  cavalry,  under  Gen.  Wilson, 
had  previously  captured  the  place  and  destroyed 
a  vast  amount  of  ordnance  stores  and  manufac- 
tories. 

"We  were  in  Selma  until  the  12  th  of  May,  when 
we  embarked  on  the  steamer  "John  H.  Groesbeck," 
and  proceeded  to  Mobile.  We  performed  provost- 
duty  at  that  place  for  some  time.  On  the  2d  of 
May,  the  Governor  promoted  Lieut.  McCaffrey  to 
Captain,  and  Second  Lieut.  J.  M.  Wilson  to  First 
Lieutenant.  During  our  stay  the  rebel  ammuni- 
tion stored  near  the  depot  exploded,  which  caused 
much  damage  to  property  and  the  loss  of  many 
lives,  some  of  our  Regiment  among  the  number. 

"On  the  13th  of  June,  the  Regiment  embarked 
on  the  ocean  steamer  "J.  T.  Rice,"  with  orders  to 
proceed  to  Texas.  We  passed  Forts  Morgan  and 
Gaines,  thence  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  encoun- 
tering some  storms,  and  arriving  at  Galveston, 
Texas,  on  the  18th.  After  disembarking,  we 
camped  in  the  public  square,  but  shortly  afterward 
broke  camp.  Each  company  was  assigned  to 
different  parts  of  the  city,  occupying  dwelling- 
houses  for  quarters.  Soon  after  arriving  at  Gal- 
veston, an  order  was  received,  to  muster  out  all 
troops  whose  term  of  service  expired  previous  to 
October  1st,  1865.  Under  this  Order  the  original 
83d  O.  V  I.  was  mustered  out  July  26th,  1865, 
when  they  departed  for  home.     Under  this   order 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  187 

also,  quite  a  number  of  the  48th  were  discharged, 
and  at  the  same  time  we  received  accessions  from 
other  regiments,  of  men  whose  term  of  service 
did  not  expire  with  their  regiments. 

"  Under  Special  Orders  No.  48,  13th  A.  C,  dated 
July  19,  1865,  the  Regiment  resumed  its  old  name 
of  48th  Ohio  Vet.  Vol.  Infantry,  and  was  placed 
under  command  of  Capt.  J.  R.  Lynch,  afterward 
promoted  to  Lieut.-Col.  Lieut.  W  H.  H.  Rike 
was  assigned  as  Adjutant,  Lieut.  W  J.  Srofe  as 
Quartermaster,  Surgeon  P.  A.  Willis  as  Surgeon, 
and  H.  Baird  as  Ass't  Surgeon.  The  latter  was 
from  the  114th  Ohio.  Serg't.  James  Douglas  was 
appointed  Serg't. -Major,  and  William  C.  Edwards 
was  appointed  Hospital  Steward.  Ass't.  Surgeon 
C.  H.  Wiles  and  Lieut.  Reed  were  discharged  the 
latter  part  of  July. 

"  On  the  2d  day  of  August,  a  portion  of  the  Regi- 
ment embarked  and  proceeded  to  Houston,  Texas, 
byway  of  Buffalo  Bayou.  The  remaining  compa- 
nies followed  soon  after,  by  way  of  Trinity  river. 
Arriving  at  Houston,  we  relieved  the  34th  Iowa, 
who  were  to  be  mustered  out.  Lieut.-Col.  Lynch 
relieved  Col.  Clark  as  Commander  of  the  Post. 
Lieut.  McCaffrey  was  appointed  Post-Adj't.  and 
Lieut.  Srofe,  Post-Quartermaster. 

"The  Regiment  was  now  sent  by  companies  to 
various  towns  on  the  railroads  running  into  Hous- 
ton. Capt.  Cochran,  with  Company  C,  was  sta- 
tioned at  Columbia,  on  the  Brazos  river,  85  miles 
from  Houston.     While  stationed  there  they  buried 


ISO  HISTORY    OF   THE 

the  brother  of  President  Johnson,  who  had  been 
fatally  injured  while  boating.  The  company  also 
lost  two  of  its  men  from  malarial  fever. 

"During  the  summer  the  Regiment  suffered  from 
break-bone  fever,  causing  many  to  be  sick.  At 
one  time  it  was  difficult  to  provide  guards  for 
duty.     It  was  not,  however,  fatal  to  any  of  them. 

"On  the  28th  of  October,  we  were  relieved  from 
duty  at  Houston,  and  ordered  to  relieve  the  24th 
Ind.  Vet.  Vols,  from  duty  at  Galveston,  who  were 
then  being  mustered  out  of  service.  In  due  time 
we  reached  Galveston,  and  took  possession  of  their 
comfortable  quarters. 

"On  the  4th  of  September,  1865,  the  Governor 
issued  the  following  commissions  :  Lieut.  Rike, 
promoted  to  Captain;  Sergeants  S.  H.  Stevenson, 
B.  W-  Ladd,  and  F.  N.  Sweny,  promoted  to  1st 
Lieutenants,  and  Sergeants  Asa  N.  Ballard,  Elihu 
Hiatt,  Q.  M.  Sergt.  Thos.  H.  Hansell  and  Serg't. 
Maj.  James  Douglas,  promoted  to  2d  Lieutenants. 
Lieut.  Stevenson  was  appointed  Adjutant  in  place 
of  Lieut.  Rike,  promoted.  H.  J.  Rausman  was 
appointed  Q.  M.  Serg't.  Oct.  5,  1865. 

"  From  the  time  the  Regiment  returned  to  Gal- 
veston, in  October,  1865,  until  our  muster-out,  we 
performed  all  kinds  of  garrison  duty,  and  the  offi- 
cers were  more  or  less  on  detached  service,  but  we 
were  not  well  satisfied  with  our  situation  or  treat- 
ment, for  we  felt  that  we  were  detained  in  the  ser- 
vice longer  than  was  actually  necessary.  In  fact, 
many  expressed  themselves  in  such  a  way  as  to 


FORTY-EIGHTH   O.  V.  V.    I.  iSg 

leave  no  doubt  of  the  feelings  of  the  Regiment. 

"On  the  23d of  April,  we  received  orders  for  our 
final  muster-out,  which  was  completed,  so  that  we 
were  enabled  to  leave  Galveston  on  the  nth  day 
of  May,  1866,  arriving  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  May 
21st,  1866." 

Thus  ended  the  existence  of  the  48th  Ohio  Vet. 
Vol.  Infantry,  after  a  sefvice  of  nearly  five  years, 
having  traveled  during  that  time  through  eight 
Southern  States,  a  distance  by  land  and  water  of 
eleven  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  and  being 
next  to  the  last  Ohio  Infantry  Regiment  discharge 
ed  from  the  service. 

The  following  is  what  Reid  says  of  the  48th  Ohio, 
in  "  Ohio  in  the  War:" 

"  This  Regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Den- 
nison  on  the  17th  of  .February,  1862,  and  soon  a£ 
ter  reported  to  Gen.  W  T.  Sherman,  at  Paducah, 
Kentucky.  After  a  short  rest  at  Paducah,  it  moved 
up  the  Tennessee  River,  on  the  steamer  Empress, 
and  on  the  19th  of  March  disembarked  at  Pitts- 
burg Landing.  On  the  4th  of  April,  while  the  regi- 
ment was  on  drill,  firing  was  heard,  and  the  48th 
at  once  moved  in  the  direction  of  the  sound;  but 
the  enemy  fell  back,  and  at  night-fall  the  regiment 
returned  to  its  quarters.  About  7  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  6th,  the  regiment  advanced  upon 
the  enemy, and  was  soon  warmly  engaged.  Charge 
after  charge  was  repulsed,  and  though  the  rebel 
fire  was  making  fearful  gaps  in  the  line,  the  men 
stood  firm.      \  battery  was  sent  to  the  regiment's 


1 90  HISTORY   OP  THE 

aid,  but  after  firing  four  shots,  it  retired.  The  reb- 
els then  advanced,  confidently  expecting  to  cap- 
ture the  regiment,  but  were  driven  back,  and  the 
48th  withdrew  to  its  supports,  having  been  ordered 
three  times  by  Gen.  Sherman  to  fall  back.  It  is 
claimed  that  Gen.  Johnston,  of  the  rebel  army,  was 
killed  in  this  portion  of  the  battle,  by  some  member 
of  the  48th.  The  regiment  was  actively  engaged 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and  late  in  the 
afternoon,  in  connection  with  the  24th  Ohio  and 
36th  Indiana,  it  participated  in  a  decisive  attack 
on  the  rebel  lines.  It  acted  throughout  in  Buck- 
land's  Brigade  of  Sherman's  Division — a  Brigade 
which  had  no  share  in  the  early  rout  of  a  part  of 
that  Division. 

"  On  the  second  day  of  the  battle,  about  10 
o'clock  A.  M.,  the  regiment  went  into  action  across 
an  open  field,  under  a  galling  fire,  and  continued 
constantly  exposed  until  the  close  of  the  engage- 
ment. The  48th  lost  about  one-third  of  its  mem- 
bers in  this  battle.  From  this  time  until  after  the 
close  of  the  Rebellion,  the  regiment  was  engaged 
continually  in  active  duty.  In  the  attack  upon 
Corinth,  the  48th  was  among  the  first  organized 
troops  to  enter  the  rebel  works.  In  Gen.  Sher- 
man's first  expedition  to  Vicksburg,  it  occupied, 
with  credit,  a  position  on  the  right  in  the  assault; 
and  it  was  in  Sherman's  expedition  up  the  Arkan- 
sas River,  that  it  distinguished  itself  in  the  battle 
of  Arkansas  Post.  It  was  with  Grant  during  his 
Vicksburg  campaign;  fought  at  Magnolia  Hillsand 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  I9I 

Champion  Hills,  and  participated  in  a  general  as- 
sault on  the  rebel  works  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg, 
May  22d,  1863. 

"On  the  25th  of  June  following,  another  assault 
was  made  upon  the  same  works,  and  the  48th  was 
ordered  to  cross  an  open  field,  exposed  to  two  en- 
filading batteries,  to  take  position  in  the  advanced 
line  of  rifle-pits,  and  to  pick  off  the  enemy's  gun- 
ners. This  order  was  successfully  executed.  It 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  battle  of  Jackson, 
Mississippi,  and  soon  after  engaged  in  the  fight  at 
Bayou  Teche.  At  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  the  48th, 
then  a  mere  remnant  of  its  former  self,  severely 
punished  the  "  Crescent  Regiment;  "  but  in  turn 
it  was  overpowered  and  captured.  It  was  not  ex- 
changed until  October,   1864. 

"The  majority  of  the  men  in  the  regiment  re* 
enlisted,  but  on  account  of  the  capture,  they  never 
received  their  veteran  furlough.  After  its  ex- 
change, the  regiment  shared  in  the  capture  of  Mo- 
bile. 

"  After  the  surrender  of  the  rebel  armies,  the 
remaining  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  men  of  this 
regiment  were  ordered  to  Texas.  The  regiment 
was  at  last  mustered  out  of  service  in  May,  1866." 


tg2  HISTORY   OF  THE 

The  following  testimonials  were  received  from 
our  Division  and  Brigade  Commanders,  in  regard 
to  the  conduct  of  the  4.8th  while  under  their  im* 
mediate  command  ; 

"  Headquarters,  Army  of  the  United  ) 

"  States,  Washington,  D.  C,  [• 

"  March  26th,  1880.      ) 

"  Maj.  Ji  A.  Bering  and  Cap/.  Thomas  Montgomery '.' 

"  Dear  Sirs: — I  am  really  indebted  to  you  for  the 
pleasure  of  having  the  opportunity  to  read  your 
beginning  of  the  "  History  of  the  Forty-Eighth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  "  and  wish  to  encourage 
you  to  go  on  in  the  same  spirit  to  the  end. 

"  I  recognize  in  every  page  that  the  writer  was  one 
of  us,  that  he  saw  with  the  eyes  of  a  brave,  inteili* 
gent  soldier,  who  meant  to  do  his  full  share  of 
work,  and  who  now  only  intends  to  record  his  ob- 
servations for  the  use  of  his  comrades,  and  to  fur- 
nish authentic  materials  for  the  future  historians 
of  the  great  events  in  which  the  48th  Ohio  bore  an 
honorable  part. 

"  I  prefer  not  to  be  a  critic,  to  alter  or  change  a 
single  paragraph,  because  I  believe  the  great  end 
at  which  we  all  aim,  Truth,  is  best  reached  by  each 
witness  telling  his  own  story  in  his  own  way. 

"  War  consists  not  only  in  absolute  facts,  which 
ought  to  be  absolutely  correct,  but  in  feelings  and 
opinions  at  the  moment  of  action,  because  these 
account  for  results.  I  advise  you  to  go  on  to  the 
conclusion  in  the  same  spirit  you  began,  and  I  am 
sure  your  comrades  will  be  grateful,  and  the  cause 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 93 

for  which  we  fought  will  be  vindicated  by  future 
generations. 

"  With  great  respect,  your  friend, 

"W    T.  SHERMAN,  General." 


"Washington,  D.  C,  April  7,  1880. 
"  Maj.  J.  A.  Bering  and  Capt.   Thomas  Montgomery: 

"Gentlemen: — I  have  received  your  letter  of 
the  1st  inst.,  also  the  one  hundred  pages  of  your 
History  of  the  48th  Ohio  has  come  to  hand,  and 
been  read  with  a  great  deal  of  interest,  as  far  as  it 
is  continued.  My  old  Brigade,  consisting  of  the 
48th,  53d,  70th  and  7 2d  Regiments  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  I  had  always  regarded  as  equal,  in 
all  respects,  to  any  brigade  I  ever  met  with.  It  af- 
fords me  great  pleasure  to  say,  that  during  the 
time  the  regiment  was  in  my  command,  its  cpn- 
duct  was  excellent.  Indeed  it  has  afforded  nae  a 
great  pleasure,  at  all  times,  to  speak  in  terms  of 
high  commendation  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
48th.  The  discipline  and  general  conduct  of  the 
Regiment  was  good,  and  my  personal  relations 
with  them,  the  officers  and  men,  were  of  such  a 
character  that  it  has  always  been  a  sincere  pleas- 
ure to  me  to  meet  one  of  them. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully, 
"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"J.  W    DENVER, 
"Brig.  Gen.  U.S.  Vols." 


194  HISTORY   OF   THE 

"  Fremont,  Ohio,  April  5,  1880. 
"  Major  j.  A.  Bering  and  Cap/.  Thomas  Montgomery : 
"Gentlemen: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowl- 
edge the  receipt  of  your  esteemed  favor  of  the  24th 
ult.,  and  also  the  first  one  hundred  pages  of  your 
forthcoming  "  History  of  the  48th  Ohio.  "  I  have 
read  those  pages  with  great  interest  and  satisfac- 
tion, and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  bearing  testi- 
mony to  the  uniform  good  conduct  and  unwaver- 
ing valor  of  the  48th  Ohio,  both  officers  and  pri- 
vates, that  composed  a  part  of  the  Brigade  which 
I  had  the  honor  of  commanding.  All  the  incidents 
and  circumstances  of  the  commencement  and 
progress  of  the  terrible  battle  of  Shiloh,  are  still 
fresh  in  my  memory.  At  the  first  alarm,  our  Brig- 
ade was  ordered  to  form  on  the  color-line,  and  I 
rode  forward  to  the  picket-line  and  found  the  en- 
emy advancing  in  strong  force,  driving  our  pickets. 
I  immediately  rode  back  through  our  Brigade-line 
to  Gen.  Sherman's  Headquarters,  and  informed 
him  that  I  had  been  to  the  front  and  found  the 
enemy  advancing  in  great  force  and  our  pickets 
falling  back,  and  asked  him  what  orders  he  had  to 
give  me.  He  answered:  "You  must  reinforce  the 
pickets  and  keep  the  enemy  back.  "  On  my  re- 
turn, I  met  Col.  Sullivan  and  Lieut.  Col.  Parker, 
of  the  48th  Ohio,  riding  to  meet  me,  and  when  I 
informed  them  what  my  orders  were,  they  both 
asked  permission  to  take  the  48th  to  the  front, 
which  I  readily  assented  to,  and  directed  them  to 
march  their  Regiment  with  as  much  speed  as  pos- 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  1 95 

sible  across  the  bridge  immediately  in  front  of  the 
Regiment,  which  was  done  with  the  utmost  prompt- 
ness. But,  as  stated  in  your  History,  the  enemy 
were  already  forming  a  line  on  our  side  of  the 
creek,  below  the  bridge,  concealed  from  our  view 
by  the  high  bank.  The  whole  Brigade  was  at  once 
advanced,  and  the  battle  commenced  in  deadly 
earnest  all  along  the  line.  No  more  courageous 
fighting  was  ever  done  than  was  done  by  the  48th, 
70th  and  72d  Ohio  regiments  during  the  next  two 
hours.  We  drove  the  enemy  back  repeatedly,  and 
held  our  line  until  ordered  back  to  the  Purdy  road. 
I  do  not  think  our  Brigade  has  ever  received  from 
the  public  the  credit  it  deserved  for  that  first  two 
hours'  fight. 

"  Although  our  ranks  were  constantly  being  ter- 
ribly cut  to  pieces,  there  was  no  flinching  in  the 
officers  or  privates.  We  were  ordered  by  Gen. 
Sherman  to  hold  our  position,  and  were  deter- 
mined to  do  it,  and  did,  until  ordered  back.  I 
consider  it  the  greatest  honor  of  my  life  that  I 
commanded  the  Fourth  Brigade  in  Gen.  Sherman's 
division,  composed  of  the  48th,  70th  and  72d  Ohio 
regiments,  at  the  great  battle  of  Shiloh.  No  braver 
men  ever  defended  their  country  on  the  battle- 
field. I  am,  with  great  respect, 
"  Your  sincere  friend, 

"R  P.  BUCKLAND, 

"Brig.  Gen.  U.  S.  Vols." 


I96  HISTORY   OP   THE 

"Lancaster,  Ky.,  Feb.  6,  1880. 
"  Maj.  J.  A.  Bering  and  Capt.  Thos.  Montgomery  ; 

"I  regret  that  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  furnish 
copies  of  my  official  reports  of  the  engagements 
in  which  my  brigade  participated  during  the  war. 
The  48th  Ohio  was  assigned  to  my  command  at 
Memphis,  Tenh.,  in  December,  1862,  and  com- 
posed a  part  of  my  brigade  until  after  the  Red 
River  campaign.  It  participated  in  the  move- 
ment under  Gen.  W  T.  Sherman  against  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  in  front  of  Vicksburg,  at  Arkansas  Post, 
and  under  Gen.  Grant  at  Port  Gibson,  Baker's 
Creek,  Black  River  Bridge,  the  sieges  of  Vicks- 
burg and  Jackson,  and  under  Gen.  T.  E.  G.  Ran- 
som, at  the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads.  In  all 
of  the  engagements  named  herein,  no  regiment 
of  which  I  have  any  knowledge,  during  the  late 
war,  bore  a  more  honorable  or  conspicuous  part 
than  the  48th  Ohio.  It  was  a  regiment  upon 
which  I  could  depend  at  all  times,  and  under  all 
circumstances,  for  just  what  was  needed.  It  was 
under  excellent  discipline,  and  always  ready  at  a 
moment's  warning,  to  drill,  march,  or  fight.  I 
had  no  trouble  with  either  officers  or  men,  and 
do  not  remember  an  unpleasant  word  that  ever 
passed  between  myself  and  any  of  that  command. 

"At  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  on  the  22d  of 
May,  they  were  among  the  first  to  reach  the  in- 
trenchments  of  the  enemy,  and  planted  their  flag 
by  the  side  of  the  77th  and  130th  Illinois,  upon 
the  Confederate  works ;  which  portion  they  held 


FORTY-EIGHTH    O.  V.  V.    I.  197 

until  recalled  late  at  night,  by  order  of  the  Corps 
Commander.  I  was  always  proud  of  the  Regi- 
ment, and  thankful  to  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  for  giving 
me  a  command  composed  of  such  splendid  ma- 
terial. Ohio,  Illinois  and  Kentucky  stood  side  by 
side,  and  it  was  a  noticeable  fact,  that  whenever 
the  enemy  got  in  our  way,  some  of  them  were 
sure  to  get  hurt,  unless  they  managed  to  get  out 
of  it  very  soon.  I  always  tried  hard  to  take 
good  care  of  the  men,  and  have  them  ready  for 
any  emergency  ;  and  I  think  the  reports  of  the 
Division,  Corps,  and  Army  commanders,  will 
show  that  the  old  second  brigade  of  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith's  Division,  made  a  very  creditable  record 
in  the  grand  old  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 
"Very  truly  yours, 

"W.  J.  LANDRUM, 
"Brevet-Brig.-Gen.  U.  S.  Vols." 


THE 


ESCAPE  AND  RE-CAPTURE 


OF 


Ml.  |.  jL  Mm  AND  LltllT.  W. ).  SfiOft, 


WITH 


PRISON    LIFE 

AT  CAMP  FORD,  TEXAS, 
FROM  OCT.  I2TH,  1864,  TO  MAY  17TH,  1865, 


AND 


THE   CLOSING    SCENES    OF   THE    WAR    WEST 
OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER. 


By  J.  A.   BERING, 
Late  Major  48TH  Reg't.  Ohio  Vols. 


The  Escape  and  Re-Capture. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    ESCAPE. 


Preparing  Rations — The  Forged  Pass — Concealed  in  Sight 
of  Prison—"  Ten  O'Clock  and  All's  Well  "—Crossing 
the  Sabine  River — Crossing  the  Bridge  at  the  Mill — 
The  Blood-Hounds  on  Our  Trail — Run  Into  a  Trap — 
Hounds  Baffled — Escape— Man  with  a  Gun — Passing 
Around  a  Village — An  All  Night  Tramp — Moonlight 
View  of  the  Country — Hounds  on  the  Trail  Again — 
Narrow  Escape  from  the  Hounds — Parching  Corn  Un- 
der Difficulties — Lost  in  a  Dark  Swamp — Waiting  for 
the  Moon  to  Rise. 

Vj[Y;rIE  Regiment  had  served  four  months  in  prison 
S^Sss  since  our  capture,  and  the  month  of  August, 
with  its  hot  and  sultry  days,  had  arrived,  which, 
with  the  smoke  of  the  hundreds  of  fires,  made  the 
over-crowded  prison-pen  ten  fold  more  uncomfort- 
able than  during  the  preceding  months.  Up  to 
this  time  we  had  submitted  to  our  fate  with  a  calm 
resignation,  for  the  reason  that  we  lia.il  received 
our  daily  allowance  of  favorable  exchange  rumors, 
(received  principally  via  "grape-vine  lines,  ")  but 
fainthearts  began  to  complain  of  "  hope  deferred,  " 
when  the  rebel  papers  brought  the  cheering  intel- 


202  THE     ESCAPE 

ligence  that,  "  owing  to  the  difficulty  in  regard  to 
the  exchange  of  negro  soldiers,  there  would  be  no 
more  exchange  of  prisoners.  "  The  prospect  of  a 
speedy  exchange  was  all  that  induced  me  to  re- 
main in  Camp  Ford,  but  my  last  hope  had  now 
departed;  therefore  my  mind  was  speedily  made  up 
to  leave  the  prison  at  the  first  favorable  opportu- 
nity. After  a  consultation  with  Lieut.  W.  J.  Srofe, 
of  my  Regiment,  we  agreed  to  undertake  the  trip 
together.  We  had,  however,  scarcely  made  the  pre- 
liminary arrangements  for  the  journey,  when  we 
received  the  information  that  the  rebels  were  go- 
ing to  send  us  hundreds  of  miles  into  the  interior 
of  Texas,  and  they  did  partly  execute  the  threat 
by  sending  600  of  our  number  to  Hempstead,  250 
miles  south-west.  This  event  nerved  us  up  to 
prompt  action,  but  we  had  a  difficult  task  before 
us,  as  many  re-captured  Union  soldiers  can  testify. 

Atprison  headquarters  they  kept  a  pack  of  blood- 
hounds, with  which  they  circled  around  the  stock- 
ade, if  they  discovered  that  any  one  had  escaped. 
But,  even  if  successful  in  getting  away  from  the 
prison  hounds,  we  had  to  travel  hundreds  of  miles 
to  our  lines,  through  a  strange  and  hostile  country; 
yet,  in  spite  of  all  these  difficulties  and  disadvanta- 
ges we  were  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  gain  our 
liberty,  let  the  consequences  be  what  they  might. 

Before  that  important  step  could  be  taken,  a 
great  many  arrangements  had  to  be  made.  We 
had  to  procure  butternut  clothes  to  wear,  in  order 
to  pass  for  rebel    soldiers,    when  necessary.     We 


AND      RE-CAPTURE.  203 

also  had  our  maps  of  the  country  to  copy;  to  bake 
crackers,  dry  our  beef,  etc.,  until  about  the  17th  of 
August,  when  everything  was  in  readiness.  The 
route  that  we  considered  the  most  favorable  was 
to  strike  for  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  distant  300  miles 
north-east. 

We  then  made  arrangements  with  Robert  Bar- 
nett,  of  my  Regiment,  (who  was  a  kind  of  trader 
and  smuggler  between  us  and  the  guards,)  to  bribe 
a  sentry  to  let  us  out  after  night.  I  did  not  like 
the  idea  of  getting  out  in  that  manner,  but  that 
seemed  to  be  our  only  chance.  My  plan  was  to 
forge  a  pass  and  go  out,  but  that  week  no  one  was 
permitted  to  go  out  of  the  stockade,  pass  or  no 
pass;  therefore,  the  only  feasible  plan  was  to  bribe 
a  guard  to  let  us  out  after  night. 

Barnett  succeeded  in  making  arrangements  for 
us  two  or  three  nights  in  succession,  but  when  the 
time  came  for  action,  the  guards  had  either  been 
removed,  or  they  were  watched  so  closely  that  we 
could  not  carry  out  our  plan.  At  the  same  time  I 
felt  rather  uncomfortable,  when  I  reflected  upon 
the  idea  of  trusting  myself  in  a  rebel's  hands.  I 
was  afraid  of  treachery,  as  they  had,  on  several  oc- 
casions, accepted  bribes  to  let  prisoners  out,  and 
when  they  had  their  pay,  they  would  fire  on  those 
whose  bribes  they  had  taken. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th,  the  Colonel  com- 
manding issued  passes  again,  to  let  a  few  out  at  a 
time.  I  borrowed  one,  and  hastily  made  an  exact 
copy  of  it.     The  most  difficult  matter  now  was  to 


204  THE     ESCAPE 

get  our  two  haversacks,  filled  with  dried  beef  and 
crackers,  outside  of  the  prison,  as  we  dared  not  be 
seen  with  them  when  we  were  ready  to  leave.  The 
custom  of  the  prison  commander  was  to  let  ten 
men  out  each  day  with  the  wood-wagon,  to  cut  and 
load  the  fuel  that  was  hauled  into  the  stockade. 
They  had  to  give  their  parole  that  they  would  not 
escape  while  at  work. 

The  men  that  were  to  go  out  that  day  were  mem- 
bers of  Lieut.  Srofe's  company,  and  he  arranged  to 
go  out  with  them.  When  they  were  ready  to  start, 
they  came  to  our  shanty,  and  we  gave  each  one  of 
them  a  portion  of  our  provisions,  which  they  hid 
about  their  persons.  After  they  arrived  in  the 
woods,  our  rations  were  put  in  the  haversacks  and 
hid  in  a  tree-top,  about  half  a  mile  east  from  the 
prison.  At  noon,  Lieut.  Srofe  returned  with  his  par- 
ty, and  after  partaking  of  a  hasty  dinner,  we  bade 
farewell  to  our  most  intimate  friends,  who  knew 
our  plans,  and  started  for  the  prison-gate.  On 
presenting  our  pass  to  the  sentinel,  Lieut.  Srofe  and 
myself  were  permitted  to  pass  out  of  the  stockade. 

We  had  decided  beforehand,  that  if  we  succeed- 
ed in  getting  out,  we  would  go  to  the  prison  hos- 
pital, which  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of 
the  stockade,  in  charge  of  our  own  nurses,  and 
remain  there  until  evening.  To  reach  the  hos- 
pital, we  had  to  pass  by  the  quarters  of  the  prison 
commander.  He  was  sitting  in  front  of  his  office 
as  we  passed  by,  but  he  was  not  aware  how  we  got 
out.     We  were    scarcely    out   of  sight,  however, 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  205 

when  he  sent  orders  to  the  guards  not  to  allow  any 
more  out  that  day,  whether  they  had  passes  or  not. 
He  supposed  his  adjutant  had  issued  too  many 
passes  for  one  day.  After  reaching  the  hospital, 
by  the  advice  of  a  slave,  we  procured  two  large 
pieces  of  soap,  to  rub  our  feet  with,  if  the  hounds 
should  get  on  our  track.  We  did  not  consider  it 
safe  to  remain  in  the  hospital  until  evening, 
therefore  decided  to  go  into  the  woods  and  con- 
ceal ourselves  until  night.  We  selected  a  place 
near  a  large  field,  about  one  mile  west  of  the  pris- 
on, and  hid  in  the  brush  until  dark. 

We  now  had  a  difficult  task  to  perform,  to  circle 
around  the  rebel  camp  and  find  our  rations,  which 
Lieut.  Srofe  had  hid  that  morning,  half  a  mile  east 
of  the  prison,  and  at  the  same  time  avoid  the  rebel 
pickets,  stationed  around  in  the  woods.  We  suc- 
ceeded in  passing  around  the  rebel  camp,  where 
about  600  Confederate  guards  were  quartered, 
without  meeting  with  any  accident. 

We  were  guided  altogether  by  the  noise  from 
the  prison,  which  sounded  like  the  hum  of  a  large 
city.  When  we  reached  the  neighborhood  in 
which  Lieut.  Srofe  thought  he  had  concealed  the 
provisions,  we  began  to  search  for  our  haversacks, 
but  there  were  many  tree-tops  lying  around,  and  it 
being  very  dark,  it  was  a  difficult  task  to  find  the 
right  one.  The  guards  at  the  prison  called  out: 
"  Eight  o'clock,  and  all's  well,  "  and  then  "  Nine 
o'clock,  and  all's  well,  "  and  still  we  had  not  found 
our  rations.     We    began    to  get   discouraged,   al- 


206  THE     ESCAPE 

though  we  knew  that  we  could  not  be  a  great  dis- 
tance from  them,  for  the  reason  that  we  had  found 
some  of  the  crackers  which  had  been  dropped  in 
the  morning.  After  a  short  rest  we  began  the 
search  again,  and  just  as  the  guards  called  out, 
"  Ten  o'clock,  and  all's  well,"  Lieut.  Srofe  called 
me,  saying  :     "  I  have  found  our  haversacks.  " 

We  were  so  overjoyed  at  finding  our  provisions, 
that  we  did  not  hear  any  one  coming  up  be- 
hind us,  until  they  were  so  near  that  we  could  not 
run  and  hide,  but  dropped  flat  on  the  ground  as 
quick  as  possible.  The  next  moment  two  men  on 
horseback  galloped  by,  not  more  than  ten  feet  from 
where  we  lay.  After  procuring  our  rations,  we  went 
to  a  small  stream  near  by,  and  ate  our  supper. 

We  were  now  ready  for  a  three  hundred' mile 
tramp,  which  finally  turned  out  to  be  nearer  six 
hundred.  Each  one  had  a  butternut  suit  and  a 
haversack,  and  between  us,  one  case-knife,  one  tin 
cup,  one  tin  plate,  for  parching  corn,  one  box  of 
matches,  pencil  and  paper,  to  keep  a  diary  of  our 
travels.  Each  of  us  also  had  a  map  of  Texas  and 
Arkansas,  which  we  had  copied. 

After  finishing  our  supper,  we  traced  up  the 
north  star,  and  took  a  north-east  course  for  the 
land  of  freedom;  but  we  soon  found  traveling 
through  the  dark  woods,  with  only  the  stars  to 
guide  us,  slow  and  tedious.  After  traveling  two 
or  three  miles,  we  struck  a  creek  bottom,  covered 
with  vines,  briars  and  fallen  timber.  Our  clothes 
received  rough  handling,  and  the  north  star  was 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  207 

not  to  be  seen  very  often,  through  the  tall  pines. 
Our  first  object  now  was  to  get  out  of  the  woods 
into  the  cleared  land,  or  on  a  road,  as  we  were  now 
well  convinced  that  little  progress  could  be  made 
by  traveling  through  the  forest  at  night.  After 
searching  around  for  two  or  three  hours,  we  struck 
a  path  which  led  us  into  one  of  the  main  roads, 
and  fortunately  it  ran  north-east.  There  was  noth- 
ing now  to  prevent  us  from  making  rapid  progress 
on  our  journey. 

During  the  night  we  passed  six  plantations;  but 
being  afraid  to  pass  by  them  on  the  road,  we  cir- 
cled around  to  the  rear  of  the  houses,  and  then 
struck  the  road  again.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
seventh,  it  was  near  daylight,  and  being  consider- 
ably worn  out,  we  passed  around  to  a  piece  of 
timber  in  the  rear  of  the  buildings,  then  hid  under 
some  bushes  in  a  fence-corner,  and  laid  down  on 
the  ground  to  sleep.  We  supposed  we  had  trav- 
eled about  eleven  miles  during  the  night,  and  were 
now  about  that  distance  from  the  stockade. 

All  of  our  subsequent  calculations  in  regard  to 
the  distance  traveled,  were  based  on  our  three 
years  experience  of  marching  in  the  army,  and  by 
referring  to  our  maps,  when  we  came  to  large 
streams.  How  near  correct  our  estimates  were  of 
the  distance  traveled,  will  be  shown  at  the  end 
of  the  journey. 

When  we  awoke  in  the  morning,  Sunday,  Aug. 
2 1st,  we  were  very  chilly,  as  it  was  foggy  and  damp. 
We  built  a  fire,  parched  some  corn,  and  ate  break- 


208  THE     ESCAPE 

fast.  We  thought  it  best  to  commence  on  parch- 
ed corn,  the  first  day,  to  save  our  dried  beef  and 
crackers.  At  about  8  o'clock,  A.  M.,  we  heard  the 
voices  of  some  persons  coming  toward  us.  We  be- 
gan to  get  uneasy;  nearer  and  nearer  they  came;  I 
raised  up  cautiously  and  looked  around,  when  I 
saw  a  man,  woman,  and  a  little  boy,  coming  di- 
rectly toward  us. 

It  was  too  late  to  get  away,  so  we  gave  up  our 
cause  as  lost.  I  kept  my  eyes  on  them  until  they 
were  nearly  opposite  us,  walking  along  a  path 
about  fifteen  feet  from  where  we  were  concealed. 
I  gave  up  all  hope  of  escape,  and  buried  my  face 
in  my  hands.  It  was  hard  to  give  up  so  soon.  But 
strange  to  say,  they  passed  by  without  seeing  us, 
and  after  they  had  passed  a  short  distance,  they 
turned  to  the  fence,  and  commenced  picking  wild 
grapes,  and  talking  very  busily  the  whole  time.  As 
soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight,  we  gathered  up  our 
haversacks  and  ran  into  the  wpods,  and  hid  in  the 
underbrush. 

Our  night's  travel  and  morning  adventure  con- 
vinced us  that  the  task  we  had  before  us  was  beset 
with  danger  and  difficulties,  and  that  it  would  re- 
quire all  our  cunning,  energy  and  patience,  to  be 
successful  in  our  undertaking.  That  Sunday 
proved  to  be  a  very  long  day  to  us.  We  conversed 
with  each  other,  but  not  above  a  whisper;  tried  to 
sleep,  but  could  not — too  much  excitement.  We 
found  it  very  tiresome  to  remain  in  one  place  all 
day,  we    therefore  concluded  to  travel  in  the  day 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  209 

time  after  that,  by  traveling  only  in  the  woods  and 
keeping  a  sharp  look-out  for  any  one  that  hap- 
pened to  be  abroad. 

In  the  evening  we  left  our  hiding-place,  and  in 
a  short  time  struck  the  same  road  that  we  had 
turned  off  from  in  the  morning.  We  followed  it 
until  about  nine  o'clock,  P  M.,  when  we  came  to 
a  mill,  where  the  road  crossed  the  creek  on  a  bridge 
which  was  attached  to  the  mill.  We  heard  per- 
sons talking  within,  therefore  did  not  venture  too 
near,  but  turned  off  to  the  right  in  a  heavy-tim- 
bered bottom,  thinking  that  we  could  circle  around 
it  to  avoid  crossing  on  the  bridge.  After  trying  in 
vain  for  about  an  hour  to  make  the  circuit,  we 
came  back  very  cautiously  and  crossed  on  the 
bridge. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock,  P.  M.,  we  reached  Sa- 
bine river.  We  rolled  a  log  into  the  stream,  then 
one  of  us  would  get  at  one  end  of  the  log  and  swim 
to  the  opposite  shore  with  it,  while  the  other  would 
hold  to  the  log  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other 
hold  our  provisions  out  of  the  water.  We  made 
five  trips  before  we  had  our  clothes  and  rations 
over.  After  we  had  crossed,  we  had  some  diffi- 
culty in  passing  around  some  persons  that  were 
camped  by  the  roadside.  At  about  two  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  we  turned  off  into  the  woods  to  remain  un- 
til daylight— distance  traveled,  twelve  miles. 

August  2 2d,  at  daybreak,  we  were  awakened  by 
the  yelping  of  hounds  on  our  track.  We  sprang  to 
our  feet,  grasped  our  haversacks  and  started  off  at 


2IO  THE     ESCAPE 

the  top  of  our  speed.  At  one  time  we  thought 
that  they  had  lost  our  trail,  but  we  soon  discovered 
that  we  were  very  much  mistaken.  About  every 
half-hour  we  would  rub  soap  on  the  bottom  of  our 
shoes,  and  on  the  grass.  Whenever  they  reached 
such  a  spot,  it  checked  them  for  some  time.  The 
race  continued  until  about  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M., 
when  we  came  to  a  small  piece  of  woods  in  the 
shape  of  a  triangle,  with  cleared  land  all  around 
it,  excepting  one  of  the  angles  that  joined  the 
woods  we  were  in,  and  a  number  of  buildings  on 
the  opposite  side.  Not  knowing  what  was  ahead 
of  us,  we  entered  this  piece  of  timber;  but  we  soon 
found  that  we  could  not  cross  the  fields  in  sight  of 
the  houses,  and  to  return  the  way  we  came  would 
take  us  back  towards  the  hounds,  who  were  now 
gaining  on  us  fast.  We  had,  unknowingly,  run 
into  a  trap.  To  pass  by  the  houses  was  certain 
capture,  or  to  turn  back  the  way  we  came  in,  and 
get  over  into  the  adjoining  woods,  was  equally 
hazardous,  but  we  had  no  time  to  lose,  and  our 
only  hope  seemed  to  be  to  get  back  into  the  main 
woods  before  the  hounds  cut  off  our  retreat.  We 
started  back,  running  at  full  speed,  to  reach  the 
entrance  before  the  hounds.  It  was  like  running 
into  our  own  destruction,  and  at  every  yelp  of  the 
hounds,  my  heart  thumped  so  loud  that  I  thought 
I  could  almost  hear  it.  Fortun  ately,  we  gained  the 
entrance  first,  but  had  scarcely  entered  the  adjoin- 
ing woods,  when  the  whole  pack  of  hounds  went 
howling  into  the  piece  of  timber   that  we  had  just 


ANDRE-CAPTURE.  211 

left,  and  the  hunters  on  horseback,  yelling,  brought 
up  the  rear.  We  heard  the  dogs  for  some  time  af- 
terward, but  did  not  know  whether  they  followed 
us  any  longer  or  not.  No  doubt  they  thought  we 
were  concealed  about  the  negro  quarters,  and 
searched  for  us  until  they  became  tired,  and  then 
gave  up  the  chase. 

In  the  afternoon  we  concluded  to  halt  and  take 
a  rest,  as  we  were  nearly  exhausted,  having  travel- 
ed about  fifteen  miles  on  a  run,  since  daylight,  and 
not  tasted  anything  since  the  evening  before.  We 
built  a  fire  and  parched  some  corn,  and  after  a 
few  hours  rest  we  started  again.  One  would  gen- 
erally take  the  lead,  and  keep  the  direction  of  the 
sun,  while  the  other  followed,  a  short  distance  be- 
hind. Towards  evening,  after  crossing  a  small 
stream,  we  struck  a  road  that  led  north-east,  so  we 
concluded  to  wait  until  night,  then  follow  k. 

As  soon  as  it  was  sufficiently  dark  to  venture  out, 
we  pursued  our  journey  until  we  came  to  a  road 
that  we  thought  ran  more  directly  north-east  than 
the  one  we  were  on.  We  turned  off  and  followed 
it  for  about  half  a  mile,  when  it  terminated  at  a 
plantation.  We  then  circled  completely  around 
the  buildings,  but  the  road  was  nowhere  to  be 
found,  which  convinced  us  that  it  was  only  a  pri- 
vate road,  leading  to  the  plantation.  Turning 
back,  we  took  the  main  road  again,  and  traveled 
until  towards  morning,  then  turned  off  into  the 
woods  to  rest;  distance  traveled  that  day,  twenty- 
five  miles. 


212  THE     ESCAPE 

August  23d,  we  started  at  daylight  and  traveled 
but  a  short  distance,  when  we  hid  in  a  tree-top  for 
the  day.  Some  noisy  children  came  into  the  woods 
and  routed  us  out  several  times,  but  they  did  not 
discover  us.  We  left  at  dark,  and  met  two  per- 
sons early  in  the  evening,  but  concealed  ourselves 
before  they  discovered  us.  Soon  afterward,  a  man 
on  horseback,  with  a  gun  in  his  hands,  galloped 
furiously  by.  He  came  on  us  so  suddenly  that 
there  was  no  time  to  hide;  we  therefore  dropped 
flat  on  the  ground  by  the  road-side  until  he  had 
passed. 

The  road  which  we  were  on  did  not  suit  us,  as 
it  ran  in  every  direction  except  the  way  we  wanted 
to  travel — north-east.  Finally  it  terminated  in  a 
road  that  ran  east  and  west.  Taking  an  eastern 
direction,  we  came  to  a  small  village.  In  trying 
to  circle  around  it,  we  ran  into  a  wagon-maker's 
shop.  It  was  quite  dark,  for  the  moon  had  not 
risen  yet;  we  tried  to  find  a  road  that  would  take 
us  north-east;  we  found  one  that  ran  north,  and 
followed  it  for  several  miles,  when  it  turned  south, 
and  intersected  the  old  road  again.  At  last  we 
found  a  road  that  took  us  north-east,  through  a 
rich  country,  and  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  which 
now  shone  nearly  as  bright  as  day,  we  could  see 
the  country  for  miles.  We  continued  our  journey 
until  near  morning  before  we  halted;  distance, 
twenty  miles. 

At  daylight,  August  24th,  we  found  ourselves  in 
an  exposed  position.     We  therefore  hid  in  a  large 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  213 

green  tree-top,  that  was  lying  on  the  ground  near 
by,  and  went  to  sleep  again.  Just  as  the  sun  rose, 
Lieut.  Srofe  awoke  me,  saying:  "The  hounds  are 
on  our  track  again  !"  On,  on  they  came,  yelping 
and  howling  as  on  a  former  occasion.  They  were 
too  close  on  us  to  attempt  to  get  away  from  them 
this  time,  and  what  made  the  matter  worse,  there 
were  no  small  trees  close  by  to  climb,  out  of  their 
reach,    so  we  laid  still,  awaiting  our  fate. 

When  the  hounds  got  opposite  us,  instead  of 
turning  off  into  the  woods  from  the  road,  as  we  had 
done,  they  kept  straight  ahead.  It  was  quite  evi- 
dent after  they  had  passed  us,  that  they  were  off 
our  track.  They  now  quit  barking,  but  kept  run- 
ning around  in  every  direction.  Presently  two 
men  on  horseback  came  up,  blowing  their  hunter's 
horns  and  urging  up  the  dogs.  When  we  sawthem 
pass  by,  we  took  courage  and  started  off  in  an  op- 
posite direction  as  fast  as  we  could  run.  We  had, 
however,  proceeded  but  a  short  distance,  when  we 
heard  them  coming  after  us,  with  the  old  yelp.  It 
now  became  an  exciting  race,  and  our  re-capture 
seemed  to  be  only  a  question  of  time.  Rubbing 
soap  on  the  bottom  of  our  shoes  did  excellent  ser- 
vice again,  in  breaking  the  scent  of  the  hounds. 
Whenever  we  reached  a  stream  we  dashed  into  the 
water,  and  followed  its  course  for  a  considerable 
distance,  for  the  purpose  of  misleading  the  dogs. 
Twice  we  were  about  to  give  ourselves  up,  but  each 
time,  after  taking  a  short  rest,  we  started  off  to  try 
it  once  more.     For  the  third  time  we  halted.    Pant- 


214  THE    ESCAPE 

ing,  and  almost  out  of  breath,  we  stood  by  the 
small  trees  that  we  had  selected  to  climb,  out  of 
reach  of  the  hounds.  Our  preparations  to  surren- 
der were  completed,  and  the  hounds  were  gaining 
on  us  fast,  when  I  asked  Lieut.  Srofe  the  question: 
"Camp  Ford,  or  Little  Rock  ?"  His  answer  came 
quick,  "Little  Rock!"  and  grasping  his  haversack, 
he  started  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and  I  followed 
after. 

It  was  nearly  noon  when  we  struck  a  bayou.  We 
found  a  shallow  place  and  waded  to  the  opposite 
shore.  After  we  had  crossed,  we  felt  secure,  with 
such  a  large  body  of  water  between  us  and  our  pur- 
suers, and  our  trail  obliterated  where  we  entered 
the  bayou.  They  now  began  to  lose  ground,  and 
finally  the  baying  of  the  hounds  ceased  altogether. 
Being  very  hungry,  and  nearly  run  down,  we  se- 
lected the  first  favorable  locality,  built  a  fire,  and 
parched  some  corn.  While  thus  busily  engaged, 
we  heard  some  persons  approaching  and  talking 
very  loud.  We  had  no  more  than  put  out  our  fire 
and  hid  ourselves,  when  two  men  passed  near  by, 
without,  however,  discovering  us.  A  short  time 
afterwards,  a  hunting  party  returned  to  the  prison, 
and  reported  that  they  had  killed  a  Yankee  Ma- 
jor and  a  Lieutenant,  across  the  Sabine  river  ! 

We  started  again  at  dark  and  followed  the  road 
for  a  few  hours,  when  it  entered  a  very  dark  and 
gloomy-looking  swamp.  We  could  only  keep  in 
the  road  by  following  the  wagon-ruts.  Finally, 
the  road  terminated  at  a  small  patch  of  corn,  in  a 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  215 

clearing,  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy- timbered  bottom. 
We  groped  around  on  our  hands  and  knees,  trying 
to  find  a  road  that  would  take  us  farther,  but  all  in 
vain.  At  last  we  decided  to  lay  down  and  snatch 
a  few  hours  sleep  until  the  moon  rose.  We  awoke 
when  the  moon  was  about  half  an  hour  high.  It 
was  now  light,  compared  to  what  it  had  been,  but 
still  we  could  find  no  road  that  would  take  us  any 
farther.  We  then  retraced  our  steps,  and  soon 
struck  a  road  that  we  had  missed  before,  which 
took  us  north-east.  We  knew  now  that  we  were 
nearing  a  large  stream,  from  the  quantity  of  water 
around  us.  Near  daylight  we  found  that  we  were 
correct.  The  stream  proved  to  be  Little  Cypress 
River,  distance  twenty  miles. 


2l6  THE     ESCAPE 


CHAPTER  II. 

Making  a  Raft — -Crossing  Little  Cypress — -Wading  the 
Overflowed  Bottoms  — Crossing  Big  Cypress —  Crossing 
Sulphur  Fork — Wading  and  Swimming — Pass  for  a 
Rebel  Deserter— •  Begging  for  Something  to  Eat — Re- 
lating Camp  Rumors  —  Journey  Interrupted  by  Rain  — 
Capturing  a  Slave  on  a  Mule  —  In  the  Indian  Territory 
—  Out  of  Our  Course  —  Conversation  with  Three  Slaves 
— -The  First  Dinner  —  Carried  Down  the  Stream  —  A 
Night  Among  the  Owls  and  Mosquitos —  Fording  Little 
River. 

jUGUST  25th,  made  a  raft  and  crossed  at  sun- 
rise. The  raft  was  made  by  tying  two  logs 
together  with  grape-vines,  then  we  made  a  plat- 
form of  short  pieces  of  wood,  on  which  we  tied 
our  clothes,  rations,  matches,  etc.,  and  swimming 
alongside,  pushed  it  across  the  stream.  During 
the  day  we  saw  a  man  chopping  wood,  but  fortu- 
nately were  not  seen  by  him.  In  the  afternoon 
we  traveled  through  woods,  covered  with  small 
mounds,  and  saw  quite  a  number  of  deer  of  all 
sizes.  We  had  thought  of  resting  all  night,  but 
toward  evening  a  small  boy  passed  us  on  horse- 
back, in  consequence  of  which  we  traveled  until 
near  morning.     Distance,  twenty-five  miles. 

August  26th,  at  daylight,  we  pursued  our  jour- 
ney, and  traveled  through  an  almost  impenetra- 


AND      RE-CAPTURE.  2I"J 

ble  Texas  chapparal.  We  found  some  splendid 
grapes,  which  partly  paid  us  for  our  torn  clothes. 
At  about  8  o'clock  A.  M.  we  came  to  a  bottom 
covered  with  water,  through  which  we  waded  for 
about  a  mile,  when  we  reached  the  banks  of  Big 
Cypress.  The  heavy  rains  up  the  river,  the  week 
previous,  had  overflowed  all  the  river  bottoms. 
We  made  a  raft  and  crossed  at  9  o'clock  A.  M. 
and  found  plenty  of  grapes  on  the  opposite  shore. 
We  rested  during  the  middle  of  the  day,  and 
parched  more  corn. 

We  had  not  traveled  far,  after  we  resumed  our 
journey,  until  we  struck  another  bottom,  covered 
waist-deep  with  water,  which  gave  evidence  of 
another  stream  ahead.  After  wading  in  a  short 
distance,  we  were  compelled  to  turn  back,  the 
water  being  too  deep  to  wade.  We  then  retraced 
our  steps  and  followed  the  base  of  the  hills  to  the 
north,  in  search  of  a  better  place  to  reach  the 
banks  of  the  stream.  After  traveling  a  few  hours, 
we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  find  dry  ground  leading 
to  the  river.  It  proved  to  be  Sulphur  Fork  of  Red 
River,  which  was  wider  than  any  stream  we  had 
crossed  before.  We  made  a  raft  and  crossed  it 
about  4  o'clock  P.  M. 

When  we  reached  the  opposite  side,  we  could 
scarcely  find  a  dry  place  to  land,  all  the  surround- 
ing bottoms  being  covered  with  water.  While 
going  through  the  cane-brake,  we  had  to  part  the 
cane  with  our  hands,  and  then  crowd  ourselves 
through  as  best  we  could,  the  water,  most  of  the 


2l8  THE     ESCAPE 

time,  being  waist-deep.  On  we  dragged  our 
weary  limbs,  until  we  came  to  a  deep  place,  where 
we  had  to  swim,  by  way  of  change.  The  sun  was 
sinking  in  the  west,  but  we  were  still  wading 
through  water,  mud  and  mire,  with  no  better  pros- 
pect of  a  dry  bed  for  the  night  than  to  climb  a 
tree,  and  wait  for  the  coming  day. 

The  sun  had  set,  and  night  was  fast  approach- 
ing, when  we  struck  the  upland,  having  traveled 
a  distance  of  twenty-three  miles  that  day.  I  will 
not  attempt  to  describe  our  feelings  when  we  step- 
ped from  the  water  to  dry  land.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  we  did  not  travel  far  until  we  laid  down  for 
the  night  and  slept  soundly,  considering  that  our 
clothing  was  thoroughly  saturated  with  water. 

August  27th,  we  awoke  in  the  morning,  stiff  and 
sore,  which  wore  off  as  we  traveled  on.  We  saw 
a  woman  going  through  the  woods,  but  were  not 
seen  by  her.  This  proved  to  be  the  hottest  day 
of  our  trip,  and  we  had  less  protection  from  the 
scorching  sun,  as  the  country  was  almost  destitute 
of  timber.  In  the  afternoon  we  struck  the  sand- 
barrens,  which  were  entirely  destitute  of  water  to 
drink.  We  were  so  overcome  by  the  heat  and 
thirst,  that  we  were  unable  to  proceed  on  our 
journey.  On  examining  our  canteens,  we  found 
that  we  had  one  pint  of  water  left,  which  we 
shared  equally,  and  concealed  ourselves  in  the 
undergrowth  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

Toward  evening,  the  want  of  water  drove  us 
from  our  resting-place.     We   determined  now,  at 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  219 

all  hazards,  to  follow  the  first  bed  of  a  stream  until 
we  found  water  to  allay  our  burning  thirst.  We 
soon  struck  the  bed  of  quite  a  large  creek,  but  no 
water.  It  was  completely  dried  up.  We  followed 
its  windings  until  near  midnight,  when  we  found  a 
small  stagnant  pool  in  the  bed  of  the  stream. 
Here  we  halted  and  drank  to  our  heart's  content, 
and  for  fear  we  might  suffer  for  water  during  the 
night,  we  concluded  to  remain  there  until  morn- 
ing, having  traveled  about  sixteen  miles  that  day. 

August  28th.  This  was  the  ninth  day  out;  and 
we  supposed  that  we  were  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  north-east  from  Camp  Ford,  but  were 
not  certain,  as  we  had  not  spoken  to  any  one  since 
we  left  the  stockade.  We  had  our  maps  ready 
for  reference,  if  we  could  only  find  out  the  name 
of  any  town  near  us.  To  learn  that,  I  agreed  to 
stop  at  the  first  house,  and  inquire  of  the  slaves 
what  neighborhood  we  were  in.  At  ten  o'clock 
A.  M.,  we  came  to  a  house  in  the  woods,  and  I 
saw  some  persons  that  I  took  to  be  slaves,  but 
found  out  afterwards  that  I  was  mistaken. 

I  had  settled  the  matter  in  my  mind  how  I 
would  talk  to  them,  but  had  not  calculated  on 
meeting  white  people.  We  were  well  aware  that 
we  could  rely  on  the  blacks  for  assistance,  but 
had  to  give  the  whites  as  wide  a  berth  as  possible. 
But,  to  be  prepared  for  any  emergency,  I  went 
north  of  the  house,  and  passed  by  to  the  south,  as 
though  I  was  going  to  Texas  instead  of  north. 
Just  as  I  came  in   sight  of  the  house,  I  saw   two 


2  20  THE     ESCAPE 

white  men  and  several  women  and  children,  sit- 
ting at  the  door.  They  saw  me  before  I  did 
them,  so  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  stop  and 
get  out  of  the  difficulty  the  best  way  I  could. 
This  was  something  I  was  not  prepared  for,  and 
there  was  no  time  to  lose  in  inventing  some 
plausible  story,  as  the  house  was  not  more  than 
fifty  yards  distant. 

As  I  approached  to  where  they  were  sitting,  I 
began  to  fan  myself  vigorously  with  my  old 
straw  hat.  The  perspiration  was  oozing  out  at 
every  pore,  from  mere  excitement.  I  bid  them  the 
time  of  day,  which  they  returned,  and  invited  me 
to  take  a  seat.  I  made  a  few  trifling  remarks 
about  the  weather;  they,  however,  did  not  seem 
to  pay  much  attention  to  what  I  said,  but  stared 
at  me  in  a  manner  which  seemed  to  say  :  "Well, 
who  are  you?"  Finally  a  perfect  silence  pre- 
vailed. I  was  still  fanning,  and  they  were  star- 
ing. The  suspense  and  silence  began  to  make 
me  nervous,  sol  thought,  "now  or  never." 

I  commenced  by  asking :  "How  far  is  it  to 
Washington  ?"  I  thought  there  was  a  town  in 
that  vicinity  by  that  name.  One  of  them  replied  : 
"It  is  about  thirteen  miles  down  to  Washington." 
I  knew  from  my  map  where  I  was,  so  I  began  to 
have  more  confidence.  I  then  told  them  that  I 
belonged  to  a  Texas  regiment,  at  Arkadelphia, 
Arkansas,  and  that  my  mother,  who  lived  in  Hen- 
derson, Texas,  and  was  a  widow,  had  sent  for  me 
to  come  home  on  business,  and  that  as  I  could  not 


AND    RE-CAPTURE.  22  1 

get  a  furlough,  I  had  determined  to  go  home  on 
my  own  responsibility,  attend  to  my  affairs,  and 
then  return  to  my  regiment.  If  they  wished,  they 
could  have  me  arrested  as  a  deserter,  and  sent 
back,  but  I  would  get  home  some  time.  Besides, 
my  captain  told  me  that  if  I  hurried  back,  there 
would  be  nothing  said  about  it.  I  awaited  anx- 
iously to  see  what  effect  my  story  would  have  on 
them.  It  seemed  to  take  very  well.  One  remark- 
ed that  I  was  rather  bold  about  it.  The  other  said 
they  were  not  near  as  hard  on  deserters  as  they 
used  to  be,  and  I  thought  from  his  looks  that  he 
spoke  from  personal  experience. 

They  no  v  asked  me  the  news  in  camp.  I  made 
up  a  batch  of  stories  for  the  occasion,  but  told 
them  they  were  mere  camp  rumors,  and  that  you 
could  not  believe  anything  you  heard  these  days. 
I  then  said  I  would  like  to  have  something  to  eat. 
The  old  man  said  he  did  not  know  about  that.  If 
his  neighbors  knew  that  he  was  harboring  desert- 
ers, it  would  go  hard  with  him.  I  had  no  more 
than  made  the  request,  when  the  lady  of  the  house, 
a  middle-aged  woman,  with  a  remarkably  large 
group  of  children  around  her,  started  out  the  back- 
way,  and  soon  returned  with  a  loaf  of  corn  bread, 
and  a  large  tin  of  buttermilk.  As  soon  as  it  was 
handed  to  me,  I  began  to  demolish  the  corn-bread, 
and  looking  up,  saw  the  whole  crowd  staring  at 
me  in  silence.  I  felt  embarrassed,  and  feared  that 
they  suspected  I  was  an  escaped  Union  prisoner. 
The  only  thing  suspicious  about  my  conversation 


222  THE     ESCAPE 

was,  that  when  I  was  asked  when  I  left  Arkadel- 
phia,  I  replied,  "  the  day  before  yesterday.  "  I 
found  out  afterwards,  that  we  were  one  hundred 
miles  from  that  place.  I  concluded  that  I  had 
better  be  going,  and  remarked  that  I  wanted  to  be 
traveling  before  it  got  much  hotter,  and  requested 
them  to  point  out  the  direction  I  should  take  to  go 
to  Washington.  The  old  man  went  so  far  as  to  go 
part  of  the  way  into  the  woods,  to  put  me  on  the 
right  course.  I  went  in  the  given  direction  until  I 
got  out  of  his  sight,  then  circled  round  to  where 
Lieut.  Srofe  was  hid  in  a  brush-heap,  awaiting  my 
return.  In  a  few  words,  I  told  him  what  I  had 
seen  and  heard.  We  hastily  examined  our  maps, 
and  found  the  exact  locality  we  were  in.  We  had 
kept  our  general  course  well,  and  had  traveled  157 
miles  since  we  left  the  prison. 

We  now  concluded  to  make  very  fast  time,  and 
get  out  of  that  neighborhood,  to  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  the  hounds.  We  had  not  proceeded  very 
far  when  it  began  to  cloud  up,  and  soon  the  rain 
came  pattering  down  upon  us.  With  the  sun  hid- 
den from  our  view,  we  could  not  travel  to  any  pur- 
pose, so  we  sat  down  on  a  log,  with  our  coats  thrown 
over  our  heads,  and  took  the  rain  from  about  noon 
until  nearly  dark,  without  any  intermission.  As 
soon  as  it  had  ceased  raining,  we  built  a  shelter  of 
pine  boughs,  and  then  a  fire,  parched  corn,  and  put 
up  for  the  night.    Distance  traveled,  fourteen  miles. 

The  following  morning,  August  29th,  we  discov* 
ered  a  log  cabin  within  sight  of  our  shelter,  there- 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  223 

fore  we  made  haste  to  get  out  of  that  vicinity.  Af- 
ter traveling  several  hours,  we  crossed  an  unfinish- 
ed railroad  track,  and  soon  after  reached  the  Red 
River.  We  made  a  raft,  and  crossed  at  8  o'clock, 
A.  M.  On  reaching  the  opposite  shore,  we  found 
a  swamp,  covered  with  a  rank  undergrowth  of  ev- 
ery description,  but  we  made  every  effort  to  get 
out  on  the  upland  as  soon  as  possible.  After 
creeping  through  cane-brakes,  briars,  vines  and 
burs,  for  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  we  struck  the 
same  river  again  that  we  had  crossed.  We  follow- 
ed the  river  to  the  north,  until  it  made  a  direct 
turn  to  the  west;  we  then  turned  off  to  the  east, 
through  a  dense  cane-brake,  to  make  sure  of  leav- 
ing the  stream  behind  us,  and  striking  the  upland. 
In  about  one  hour's  travel  we  came  to  the  same 
river  once  more,  near  a  house,  situated  on  the 
bank  of  the  stream.  This  was  rather  discouraging. 
It  was  now  near  noon,  and  we  had  crossed  the 
river  at  8  o'clock  that  morning,  and  had  traveled 
ever  since  without  resting,  and  yet  had  made  no 
progress.  It  was  evident  now  that  we  were  lost 
in  the  river  bottoms,  and  in  the  windings  of  the 
stream  could  not  find  our  way  out.  We,  however, 
took  our  north-east  course  once  more  by  the  sun, 
and  passed  through  an  extensive  swamp,  terminat- 
ing at  last  in  a  comparatively  large  lake.  After 
crossing  this  with  some  difficulty,  we  found  our- 
selves in  an  open  country.  At  about  2  o'clock  P. 
M.,  we  halted  to  rest  and  dry  our  provisions,  at  the 
same  time  hiding  under  a  thicket  of  Osage  Orange. 


224  THE     ESCAPE 

We  supposed  that  here  we  would  be  safe  from 
all  intrusion,  but  we  had  scarcely  laid  down  when 
we  heard  some  one  approaching  us.  Nearer  and 
nearer  he  came;  we  could  not  run,  not  knowing 
what  direction  to  take  to  get  away  from  the  threat- 
ened danger.  I  raised  up,  and  began  to  look 
around  cautiously,  when  I  saw  a  negro  on  a 
mule,  coming  directly  toward  us.  I  crawled  up 
in  the  bushes  to  where  I  thought  he  would  have  to 
pass,  then,  as  soon  as  he  came  within  my  reach, 
I  ordered  him  to  halt.  At  the  same  time  I  caught 
his  mule  by  the  bridle.  The  slave  was  so  scared  at 
my  sudden  appearance  that  he  trembled  from  head 
to  foot,  and  could  not  answer  my  questions  for 
some  time.  I  asked  him  the  name  of  the  nearest 
town;  he  said  he  did  not  know,  and  did  not  know 
the  name  of  any  town  anywhere.  I  then  asked 
him  how  far  around  there  he  was  acquainted;  he 
replied,  "  about  ten  miles.  " 

There  was  a  poor  prospect  of  finding  out  our 
whereabouts  from  him.  After  telling  him  we  were 
runaway  Yankees,  and  making  him  promise  that 
he  would  not  tell  any  person  that  he  had  seen  us, 
I  was  about  to  let  him  go,  when  I  asked  him  where 
he  lived.  He  said,  "about  three  miles  on  the  State 
Line  road."  I  asked  him,  "what  State  Line?"  He 
replied,  "Between  Arkansas  and  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory." We  knew,  then,  exactly  what  locality  we 
were  in.  We  had  missed  our  course  by  going  too 
far  west,  and  had  strayed  over  into  the  Choctaw 
Reservation.     Before  he  left  he  warned  us  not  to 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  225 

go  too  far  to  our  left,  because  there  were  a  lot  of 
soldiers  over  there. 

After  we  had  gained  all  the  information  we  could 
from  him,  we  let  him  go.  When  we  found  we  were 
out  of  our  course,  we  did  not  tarry  long  to  rest,  but 
started  off  due  east.  Towards  evening,  we  ran 
against  ten  or  fifteen  slaves  in  a  field,  gathering 
corn.  We  turned  back  into  the  woods,  and  tried 
to  circle  around  the  plantation,  by  keeping  in  the 
timber;  but  we  had  to  give  up  that  plan,  as  we 
could  see  the  cleared  land  on  either  side  of  us  for 
miles;  therefore  our  only  chance  was  to  cross  the 
fields,  in  sight  of  the  dwelling-houses  on  our  right 
and  left.  We  succeeded  in  creeping  along  the 
fence  and  through  the  weeds,  into  the  woods  on 
the  opposite  side,  without  being  seen.  We  travel- 
ed until  nine  o'  clock  that  night,  and  then  rested 
until  morning,  having  traveled  that  day  a  distance 
of  eighteen  miles. 

August  30th,  we  started  at  daylight  and  had 
traveled  but  a  short  distance,  when  it  began  to 
cloud  up,  with  strong  indications  of  rain.  As  we 
could  not  keep  in  our  course  without  seeing  the 
sun,  we  waited  until  noon,  when  it  cleared  off.  At 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  sun,  we  started  on  our  jour- 
ney. After  traveling  a  short  time,  we  came  across 
a  lot  of  green  timber,  that  evidently  had  been  cut 
down  that  day,  and  on  looking  around,  saw  three 
slaves  watching  us,  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards 
off.  We  concluded  that  the  best  plan  would  be  to 
go  and  tell  them  who  we  were,  and  caution  them 


226  THE     ESCAPE 

against  telling  any  one  that  they  had  seen  us.  On 
asking  them  the  name  of  the  nearest  town,  we  were 
told  that  they  lived  in  Rocky  Comfort,  Arkansas, 
which  was  four  miles  west  from  there.  They  also 
gave  us  the  cheering  information  that  four  run- 
away Yankees  had  been  caught  in  that  neighbor- 
hood the  week  previous.  We  asked  them  if  they 
could  give  us  something  to  eat.  They  examined 
their  dinner-basket,  and  found  that  there  was  about 
a  pound  of  bacon  and  a  piece  of  corn-bread  left, 
which  they  gave  us.  We  divided  it  equally,  and 
inmediately  commenced  devouring  the  fat  bacon, 
while  the  slaves  looked  on  in  amazement. 

After  making  them  promise  not  to  mention  hav- 
ing seen  us,  we  pursued  our  journey.  About  an 
hour  afterwards,  we  came  near  running  against  an 
old  man  on  horseback,  before  we  saw  him.  All  that 
we  could  do  was  to  drop  flat  on  the  bare  ground, 
there  being  no  brush  of  any  kind  near.  We  were 
in  great  danger  of  being  seen,  but  although  he 
passed  very  near  us,  he  did  not  look  in  our  direc- 
tion. He  appeared  to  be  in  a  deep  study,  neither 
looking  to  the  right  nor  left. 

We  struck  a  road  towards  evening,  and  rested 
until  night,  then  followed  it  through  a  large  plan- 
tation, which  we  entered  through  a  gate,  swung 
across  the  road.  About  ten  o'clock  that  night,  we 
came  to  a  small,  but  very  rapid  stream.  I  waded 
into  the  water,  but  found  it  too  deep  and  swift  to 
cross  at  that  point,  and  in  trying  to  get  back  to 
the  bank,  the  force  of  the  stream  carried  me  down 


AXD     RE-CAPTURE.  227 

into  the  swift,  foamy  current.  After  some  difficul- 
ty, I  managed  to  get  on  shore.  In  the  second  at- 
tempt, we  crossed  without  any  further  mishap. 

The  road,  which  seemed  much  lower  than  its 
surroundings,  now  wound  through  a  dark  and 
dreary  swamp,  covered  with  water,  which  made 
traveling  disagreeable  and  tiresome.  When  splash- 
ing through  the  water,  we  knew  that  we  were  in 
the  road;  when  we  struck  dry  land  we  knew  that 
we  were  off  the  track;  therefore  had  to  search  for 
the  water  again.  We  traveled  on  until  near  morn- 
ing— longer  than  we  wished  to,  but  we  were  anx- 
ious to  strike  the  upland  before  we  halted,  and  get 
out  of  the  water  and  away  from  the  millions  of 
mosquitos;  but  we  could  not  accomplish  impossi- 
bilities, and  were  obliged  to  drop  down  by  the 
road-side,  to  await  the  coming  day. 

To  sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  with  the  mos- 
quitos innumerable  and  as  ravenous  as  wolves, 
while  the  frogs  and  owls  were  making  night  hide- 
ous with  their  cries.  To  protect  us  from  the  mos- 
quitos, we  gathered  a  large  pile  of  pine  boughs, 
then  crawled  underneath  them,  to  await  the 
coming  morning.  The  memory  of  that  night's 
suffering,  I  will  never  forget.  Distance  traveled, 
eighteen  miles. 

August  31st,  at  the  first  signs  of  day,  we  were  up 
and  gone.  In  a  short  time  we  saw  a  house,  where 
a  woman  stood  at  the  gate,  calling  up  the  hogs, 
but  we  passed  around  to  the  rear  of  the  building 
without  being  seen.     We  crossed  a  dense  swamp, 


228  THE     ESCAPE 

and  forded  Little  River  in  the  forenoon.  We 
traveled  until  about  nine  o'clock  that  night,  when 
we  entered  another  swamp,  covered  with  water, 
similar  to  the  one  we  had  passed  through  the  eve- 
ning before.  Finding  too  much  water  ahead,  we 
turned  back,  picked  out  a  dry  spot,  and  put  up  for 
the  night.     Distance  that  day,  twenty-three  miles. 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  229 


CHAPTER  III. 

RE-CAPTURED. 

The  Arkansas  Hills — The  Hum  of  the  Spinning-Wheel — 
The  Last  Match — Roast  Pumpkin  and  Parched  Corn — 
Almost  Home — Re-Captured — Bound  "With  Ropes — 
A  Retrograde  Movement — Another  Unfortunate  Yan- 
kee— On  Exhibition — Entertained  by  Young  Ladies — 
The  Old  Lady's  Lecture  on  the  War — Sent  to  Wash- 
ington, Arkansas — The  Guests  in  the  Parlor — In  the 
Court  House — Offer  of  "Jewelry  " — Rebel  Officers  on  a 
Spree — On  the  Road  to  Camden — Battle-Field  of  Prairie 
d'  Ann — Eating  Two  Days' Rations  for  Supper — Slaugh- 
ter of  the  Colored  Troops — No  Quarter. 

SEPTEMBER  ist.  We  started  at  daybreak, 
aUs  and  made  another  attempt  to  get  through  the 
swamp  before  us.  After  a  two  hours'  tramp  we 
reached  cleared  land,  and  found  plenty  of  grapes 
and  muscadines.  We  forded  a  stream  at  about  8 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  and  reached  the  Arkansas  hills 
about  an  hour  afterward.  In  traveling  through 
the  woods  we  could  hear  the  hum  of  the  spinning- 
wheel,  at  intervals,  on  all  sides,  which  enabled  us 
to  give  the  houses  on  our  route  as  wide  a  berth  as 
necessary.  That  day  we  heard  more  of  them  than 
usual,  on  account  of  the  country  being  more  thick- 
ly settled. 

About  noon,  we  halted  at  a  small  creek,  near  a 


230  THE     ESCAPE 

corn-field.  By  referring  to  our  maps,  we  found  we 
were  225  miles  from  the  prison,  and  about  75  miles 
from  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  Lieut.  Srofe  made  a 
fire  with  the  last  match,  while  I  procured  some 
corn  from  an  adjoining  field,  of  which  we  parched 
a  sufficient  quantity  to  last  us  until  we  would  reach 
our  lines,  which  we  thought,  if  nothing  happened, 
would  take  us  between  three  and  four  days.  Feel- 
ing confident  of  success,  we  even  talked  of  what 
we  would  eat  and  drink  when  we  got  through,  and 
the  good  times  we  were  going  to  have  generally. 
We  were  also  going  to  do  all  we  could  to  have  the 
poor  fellows  released,  whom  we  had  left  in  Texas. 
But  such  is  the  uncertainty  of  human  calculations. 

After  we  had  finished  parching  corn,  we  attempt- 
ed to  eat  a  roasted  pumpkin,  in  which,  hungry  as 
we  were,  we  failed.  We  now  pursued  our  journey 
once  more,  in  high  spirits,  and  traveled  far  into 
the  night  before  we  halted,  a  distance,  in  all,  of 
twenty-three  miles. 

September  2d,  we  were  on  the  road  bright  and 
early,  and  halted  at  a  cool  spring  at  7  o'clock  A. 
M.  We,  however,  did  not  tarry  long,  being  now 
in  a  hurry  to  get  home.  An  hour  afterward,  while 
traveling  through  the  woods,  we  discovered  a  road 
ahead  of  us,  which  crossed  our  route.  We  were 
about  fifty  yards  from  it,  when  we  halted  to  listen. 
Hearing  a  wagon  coming  on  our  left,  we  held  a 
hurried  consultation,  whether  to  attempt  to  cross 
the  road  before  the  wagon  came  in  sight,  or  to  run 
back  and  hide  in  the  underbrush  until  it  had  pass- 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  23 1 

ed  by.  Knowing  that  we  could  not  cross  the  road 
without  being  seen,  we  ran  back  a  short  distance 
and  hid  in  the  brush. 

The  wagon  came  rumbling  along  slowly,  and 
when  opposite  us  I  looked  up  cautiously,  and  saw 
two  men  in  it,  busily  engaged  in  conversation,  and 
slashing  the  whip  at  the  oxen  they  were  driving.  I 
was  convinced  that  they  had  not  seen  us,  so  I  laid 
down  again  to  wait  until  they  were  out  of  sight, 
before  we  would  venture  any  farther.  They  had 
passed  but  a  short  distance,  however,  when  they 
halted.  We  thought  they  might  have  broken  some- 
thing about  their  wagon,  and  had  stopped  to  repair 
it.  They  were  still  talking  very  loud,  when  we 
heard  some  one  approaching  through  the  brush 
toward  us.  I  began  to  feel  uneasy,  and  raised  up 
cautiously  to  see  what  was  going  on.  As  I  looked 
up,  I  saw  a  rebel  on  a  mule,  with  his  gun  pointed 
toward  us,  not  more  than  thirty  yards  off.  At  the 
same  time  he  ordered  us  to  "  come  out  o'  thar  !  " 
Had  a  thunderbolt  from  a  clear  sky  descended  in 
our  midst,  it  could  not  have  dumbfounded  us  more 
completely.  In  the  meantime  the  rebel  had  low- 
ered his  gun;  but  as  we  did  not  stir,  he  raised  it 
once  more,  and  again  ordered  us  to  "  come  out  o' 
thar  !"  I  requested  him  not  to  shoot — that  we 
would  surrender.  He  then  ordered  us  to  march 
to  the  wagon,  where  the  two  men  were  awaiting 
our  arrival. 

My  first  question  to  them  was,  "  howv,did  you 
happen  to  see  us  when  you  passed  by  ?"    The  rebel 


232  THE     ESCAPE 

on  the  mule,  overhearing  my  question,  replied, 
that  the  two  men  in  the  wagon  did  not  see  us, 
but  that  he  had  been  on  picket,  and  was  just  going 
home  from  the  opposite  direction,  when  he  saw  us 
come  near  the  road,  and  watched  us  until  we  ran 
back  and  hid  in  the  brush.  We  were  so  taken 
up  with  the  wagon,  that  we  did  not  think  of  look- 
ing to  our  right,  where  the  rebel,  not  a  hundred 
yards  distant,  was  a  silent  spectator  of  the  whole 
proceeding.  He  heard  the  rumbling  of  the  wagon 
at  the  same  time  we  did,  and  concluded  to  wait 
until  it  came  up,  and  get  assistance  to  capture  us. 

In  reply  to  their  questions,  we  informed  them 
who  we  were,  and  where  we  came  from,  but  they 
did  not  seem  to  believe  our  statement,  and  search- 
ed us  to  see  whether  we  had  any  weapons  conceal- 
ed about  our  persons;  but  they  found  nothing  more 
than  an  old  case-knife.  They  then  tied  our  arms 
behind  our  backs  with  ropes,  and  with  another 
rope  tied  us  together.  The  rebel  on  the  mule  then 
took  charge  of  us,  and  said  he  was  going  to  take  us 
to  Lieut.  Shote's  house,  about  seven  miles  from 
there,  and  the  men  with  the  wagon  continued  their 
journey  in  the  opposite  direction. 

This  was  all  done  so  suddenly,  that  it  seemed 
like  a  dream  to  me,  and  more  than  once  I  found 
myself,  as  I  have  often  done  when  dreaming  a  hor- 
rible dream,  trying  to  arouse  myself,  to  find  it  all 
an  illusion;  but  this  time  it  was  impossible — the 
stern  reality  was  before  me.  The  excitement 
that  had  kept  me  up  so  far  was  now  over;    I  felt 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  233 

weak  and  hungry,  and  begged  our  captor  for  some- 
thing to  eat.  The  first  house  we  came  to  we  halt- 
ed, and  the  guard  procured  us  some  corn-bread, 
then  took  us  to  a  blacksmith's  shop,  near  by,  and 
partially  loosened  the  ropes  with  which  we  were 
bound,  while  he  and  the  blacksmith  kept  a  vigilant 
watch  over  us.  After  we  had  eaten  our  corn-bread, 
the  ropes  were  re-adjusted,  and  we  resumed  our 
journey. 

It  must  have  been  seven  very  long  miles  that  he 
marched  us,  as  we  did  not  reach  the  Lieutenant's 
house  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  The  house 
was  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  pine  forest, 
with  no  cleared  land  around  it.  As  we  stepped 
into  the  house,  some  one  said  in  a  loud  voice,  ad- 
dressing my  partner:  "  How  are  you,  Srofe  ?"  I 
was  astonished,  and  Lieut.  Srofe  did  not  under- 
stand it  either.  I  looked  around  the  room,  and 
saw  a  young  man,  dressed  in  the  rebel  gray,  lying 
on  the  floor,  reading  a  book.  I  asked  him  who  he 
was,  and  where  he  came  from.  He  replied  that 
his  name  was  John  Baker,  and  that  he  belonged  to 
the  130th  regiment  Illinois  Infantry,  and  had  made 
his  escape  from  Camp  Ford,  Texas,  but  was  re- 
captured about  an  hour  before.  Miserable  as  we 
felt,  we  had  a  good  laugh  over  our  meeting.  This 
convinced  the  rebels  that  we  were  Yankees,  and  no 
mistake. 

His  story  was  soon  told.  He  had  bribed  the 
guards  and  made  his  escape  with  the  others  the 
evening  before  we  did,  but  became  separated  from 


234  THE     ESCAPE 

them,  and  had  made  the  trip  alone.  That  morn- 
ing he  ran  against  this  house  in  the  woods,  and 
was  confronted  by  the  inmates  before  he  was 
aware  of  it.  Being  confused,  he  could  only  stam- 
mer out,  "  How  far  is  it  to  Little  Rock?" — just  the 
very  question  he  should  not  have  asked.  The  Lieu- 
tenant, who  was  in  the  house,  overheard  him,  and 
came  to  the  door,  his  hand  resting  on  his  revolver, 
told  him  to  walk  in  and  make  himself  comfortable, 
which  he  did,  saying  that  he  was  beaten  this  time. 
Hence  our  strange  meeting.  This  same  soldier 
made  his  escape  at  two  different  times  afterwards; 
was  re-captured  each  time,  and  the  close  of  the 
war  found  him  still  in  prison. 

But  to  resume  our  own  adventures.  The  rebel 
Lieutenant  had  us  untied,  and  gave  us  our  dinners, 
after  which  a  wounded  Confederate  soldier,  from 
Lee's  army,  who  had  just  returned  home  on  fur- 
lough, entertained  us  with  an  account  of  the  mili- 
tary operations  east  of  the  Mississippi  River.  To- 
wards evening,  we  were  put  in  charge  of  four  or 
five  rebel  guards,  who  took  us  about  six  miles  far- 
ther, to  Serg't.  Luther's  house,  to  stay  all  night. 
They  had  now  three  live  Yankees,  as  they  called 
us,  to  exhibit  around  through  the  country.  They 
took  great  pride  in  showing  their  prize  to  all  their 
friends  on  the  road,  but  we  were  a  hard-looking 
set  to  exhibit. 

Our  clothes  were  all  in  shreds,  from  traveling  so 
long  through  the  brush,  and  not  very  clean,  at  that. 
We  were  considered  quite  a  curiosity  wherever  we 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  235 

were  taken.  At  one  place  the  guards  halted  us  at 
a  house  to  get  some  water,  and  told  the  family  to 
come  and  see  their  live  Yankees.  They  came  out, 
expecting  to  see  a  great  sight,  no  doubt.  An  old 
lady,  in  particular,  ran  back  into  the  house,  and 
returned  with  her  spectacles,  which  she  hastily,  in 
her  excitement,  pushed  up  on  her  forehead,  and 
then  planted  herself  right  before  us,  and  took  a 
good  look.  After  she  had  gazed  at  us  in 
silence  for  some  time,  she  exclaimed:  "Well,  if 
these  be  Yankees,  they  look  almost  like  we  'uns.  " 
It  is  very  strange  what  queer  ideas  some  of  the 
Southern  people  had,  in  regard  to  the  appearance 
of  Northern   soldiers. 

About  dusk  that  evening,  we  reached  the  log 
cabin  of  Serg't.  Luther,  where  they  intended  to 
keep  us  for  the  night.  The  family  consisted  of  the 
mother  and  her  two  young  daughters.  Serg't.  Lu- 
ther had  taken  some  deserters  to  a  neighboring 
town  that  day,  and  had  not  yet  returned.  They 
prepared  supper  for  us,  consisting  of  green  beans, 
pork  and  corn-bread,  which  we  ate  by  the  light  of 
a  pine  torch.  After  supper,  the  ladies  entertained 
us  by  singing  some  songs  of  "Ante  Bdlum  "  days. 
Their  favorite  seemed  to  be  the  "  Bold  Buccaneer.  " 

After  they  got  through,  they  requested  us  to 
teach  them  some  new  ones,  but  as  we  were  not  on 
a  singing  excursion,  we  respectfully  declined.  The 
fact  of  the  case  was,  we  had  not  learned  man)-  new 
songs'  since  the  war,  excepting  such  as  "  John 
Brown,  "    "  Rally  Round  the  Flag,  "  and  that  style 


236  THE     ESCAPE 

of  patriotic  airs,  which  we  were  not  very  anxious 
to  sing  in  the  presence  of  so  many  armed  rebels. 
Not  knowing  what  disposition  they  were  going  to 
make  of  us  for  the  night,  we  informed  them  that 
we  were  very  tired  and  sleepy.  The  old  lady  then 
made  a  bed  on  the  floor,  in  the  only  room  the 
cabin  contained,  while  she  and  her  daughters  oc- 
cupied the  beds,  and  the  guards,  with  loaded  mus- 
kets, stood  at  the  doors. 

Before  the  old  lady  retired,  she  gave  us  a  bit  of 
her  mind.  She  inquired:  "How  much  longer  is 
this  war  going  to  last  ?  "  To  which  we  replied, 
that  we  did  not  know.  She  said:  "  Dog  my  cats, 
I  think  it  has  been  going  on  long  enough,  and  this 
thing  of  the  women  having  to  raise  the  '  craps,' 
while  the  men  are  riding  around  the  whole  year, 
with  their  guns,  will  have  to  be  stopped  mighty 
soon.  I  am  getting  tired  of  doing  all  the  work.  " 
We  half-way  agreed  with  her,  but  were  too  tired 
and  sleepy  to  stay  awake  and  listen  to  the  lecture, 
and  fell  into  a  sound  slumber  while  she  was  yet 
talking. 

Up  to  this  time,  according  to  our  maps,  we  had 
traveled  two  hundred  and  fifty-three  miles.  The 
air-line  was  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  from 
prison,  thirty  miles  west  of  Hot  Springs,  and  eighty 
miles  from  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  To  have  all 
our  trials  and  sufferings  terminate  thus,  with  per- 
haps still  worse  in  store,  made  our  future  look  very 
gloomy  and  discouraging. 

Sept.  3d,  long  before  day,  the  guards  awakened 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  237 

us,  saying  that  we  must  get  ready  to  march,  and 
we  would  eat  our  breakfast  on  the  road.  Their  or- 
ders were  to  take  us  to  Washington,  Ark.,  45  miles 
south,  and  turn  us  over  to  the  authorities  there. 
Towards  evening,  the  guards  requested,  at  each 
house  on  the  road,  permission  to  stay  all  night, 
and  get  supper  for  themselves  and  prisoners,  and 
feed  for  their  horses,  but  at  every  house  the  reply 
came,  "we  have  nothing  to  eat  ourselves.  " 

It  was  getting  dark,  and  we  had  marched  27 
miles  since  morning,  when  we  halted  at  the  house 
of  a  wealthy  planter,  near  Center  Point,  but  he 
turned  them  off  with  the  same  answer  they  had  re- 
ceived elsewhere.  We  then  begged  the  guards  not 
to  march  us  any  farther,  telling  them  we  would 
be  perfectly  satisfied  with  a  little  parched  corn,  if 
they  would  only  stop  for  the  night.  After  a  short 
consultation  among  the  guards,  they  entered  the 
house,  which  was  a  large  brick  mansion,  and  took 
forcible  possession  of  the  premises,  and  ordered 
supper  for  the  guards  and  prisoners,  which  was 
served  up  with  reluctance.  After  supper,  we  were 
put  in  the  parlor,  with  a  sentinel  stationed  at  the 
door. 

The  next  day,  we  passed  through  Temperance- 
ville  and  Nashville,  and  reached  Washington  in 
the  evening.  Here  wewere  confined  in  the  second 
story  of  the  Court  House.  The  next  morning,  a 
rebel  officer  called  on  us,  and,  after  inquiring  who 
we  were,  asked  me  whether  I  was  fond  of  jewelry. 
I  replied,  "I  don't  know  that  1  am,  particularly  " 


238  THE     ESCAPE 

He  said  he  would  procure  some  for  us  before  night. 
I  did  not  then  comprehend  him,  but  learned  af- 
terward, that  he  intended  to  give  us  a  ball  and  chain 
to  carry.  They  had  sent  off  some  Union  prisoners 
a  few  days  previous,  who  carried  off  all  the  shackles 
and  chains  in  the  town,  which  was  all  that  saved 
us. 

The  day  following,  a  rebel  Colonel,  from  Mis- 
souri, paid  us  a  visit.  He  treated  us  very  gentle- 
manly, and  took  out  his  pocket-book  and  asked  us 
whether  we  wanted  any  money.  We  thanked  him, 
but  declined.  He  then  asked  us  whether  he  could 
do  anything  for  us.  We  replied  that  all  we  want- 
ed was  to  be  sent  back  to  our  old  prison,  as  soon 
as  possible,  so  that  we  would  be  in  time  for  an  ex- 
change, if  any  took  place.  He  said  he  would  send 
us  forward  as  soon  as  he  could  get  the  guards  ready, 
which  would  be  three  or  four  days.  At  the  same 
time,  he  remarked  that  there  was  then  an  ex- 
change of  prisoners  taking  place  at  our  old  prison, 
and  that  we  would  have  to  hurry  up  to  be  in  time. 
We  were  all  excitement  now,  to  get  back  to  Camp 
Ford,  for  we  had  strong  hopes  of  being  exchanged 
if  we  arrived  before  it  took  place.  That  day  three 
more  Union  prisoners,  belonging  to  an  Indiana 
regiment,  were  brought  in.  One  of  the  poor  fel- 
lows died,  a  few  days  afterward,  from  the  exposure 
of  the  trip. 

September  8th.  This  was  the  day  set  for  us  to 
be  sent  to  Camden,  Arkansas,  sixty  miles  distant. 
Early  in  the   morning,  several  rebel  officers  from 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  239 

Missouri,  with  whom  we  had  become  acquainted, 
came  and  took  Lieut.  Srofe  and  myself  out  of  the 
guard-house,  to  show  us  the  town  and  give  us  our 
breakfast.  Washington  was  then  the  capital  of 
Arkansas,  and  all  the  rebel  work-shops  for  the 
State  were  located  there.  After  a  walk  through 
the  town,  we  visited  a  saloon,  where  all  they  had 
was  very  mean  "  pine-top  "  whisky,  at  one  dollar 
a  drink.  The  rebel  officers,  excepting  one,  got 
most  gloriously  drunk  in  a  very  short  time.  In 
our  army,  the  rule  among  the  great  drinkers  seem- 
ed to  be,  to  get  drunk  only  when  in  good  spirits, 
after  a  victory.  We  had  nothing  to  rejoice  over, 
therefore,  I  am  happy  to  say,  we  did  not  follow 
their  example,  but  reminded  them  that  we  had 
not  had  our  breakfast.  They  then  took  us  to  their 
quarters,  where  breakfast  was  waiting,  consisting 
of  fried  beef  liver,  very  sad-looking  biscuits,  and 
corn  coffee.  We  cleared  the  table  of  everything 
within  our  reach,  in  a  remarkably  short  time. 

The  rebels  were  getting  boisterous,  declaring 
that  they  were  going  to  fight  us  as  long  as  they 
lived,  to  gain  their  independence,  and  said  that 
what  we  saw  on  the  table  was  their  regular  fare, 
but  they  would  live  on  sweet  potatoes,  before  they 
would  give  up.  We  were  not  in  a  fighting  condi- 
tion just  then,  therefore  let  them  have  it  all  their 
own  way. 

At  11  o'clock  A.  M.,  we,  with  three  other  Union 
prisoners  and  several  rebel  deserters,  were  turned 
over  to  a  squad  of  rebel  cavalry,  under  Lieutenant 


240  THE     ESCAPE 

Whitehouse.  We  had  to  march  thirty  miles  a  day, 
but  otherwise  we  received  fair  treatment  from 
them.  We  traveled  over  the  same  road  that  Gen. 
Steele  had  fought  the  rebels  on,  the  previous  spring. 
The  marks  of  the  fierce  conflict  that  raged  over 
that  narrow  country  road,  were  still  visible  on  all 
sides.  In  the  afternoon  we  crossed  the  battle- 
field of  Prairie  d'  Ann,  and  reached  the  home  of 
Lieutenant  Whitehouse  in  the  evening.  For  safe 
keeping,  we  were  placed  in  the  village  store,  and 
received  rations  to  last  us  two  days,  which  we 
cooked  and  ate  during  the  night,  from  the  effects 
of  which  I  felt  very  uncomfortable  all  the  next  day. 
Two  days  Confederate  rations  of  corn-meal  and 
bacon,  was  more  than  I  could  stand  at  one  meal. 
We  made  an  early  start  the  following  morning, 
and  soon  reached  Poison  Springs,  where  a  portion 
of  Gen.  Steele's  supply  train  had  been  captured  by 
the  rebels.  Among  the  train-guards  was  a  regi- 
ment of  colored  soldiers,  five  hundred  strong. 
They  were  surrounded  by  the  rebels,  no  quarter 
given,  and  every  one  killed.  Their  bodies  were 
still  lying  where  they  fell,  and  their  bones  scat- 
tered along  the  road.  A  Southern  historian  men- 
tions the  slaughter  of  the  colored  regiment,  and 
states  that  "  among  the  material  fruits  of  the  bat- 
tle, was  an  uncounted  number  of  dead  negroes.  " 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  241 


CHAPTER  IV. 

In  the  Cotton-Shed  at  Camden — Pandemonium — Sent  to 
the  Hospital — On  the  Road  Again — Guarded  by  Blood- 
Hounds — Prisoners  Lassoed — WadingThrough  a  Stream 
by  Request — Arrival  atShreveport — Meeting  Our  Regi- 
ment— Homeward  Bound — Our  First  Mail — No  Water 
for  "  Yankees  " — Camp  Ford — Home  Again — Sentenced 
— Our  New  Cabin — Northers — Presidential  Election — 
Tramping  in  the  Ring. 

SEPTEMBER  ioth,  we  arrived  at  Camden, 
^H  traveling  the  entire  distance,  sixty  miles,  in 
forty-eight  hours.  Here  we  were  turned  over  to 
one  of  the  meanest  men  in  existence,  whose  name 
has  slipped  my  memory.  He  was  a  Captain  and 
Prison-Adjutant.  Although  he  did  not  misuse  me 
individually,  I  have  seen  him  vent  his  spleen  on 
more  than  one  poor  fellow.  His  chief  amusement 
consisted  in  flogging  slaves,  who  were  found  away 
from  home  without  passes,  putting  Union  soldiers 
in  the  stocks,  or  chaining  them  together  in  pairs, 
and  making  them  work  on  the  corduroy  roads, 
near  town.  After  he  had  taken  our  names,  he  put 
us  in  the  second  story  of  a  long  and  very  narrow 
ware-house,  with  only  two  windows  at  each  end, 
for  ventilation,  in  which  were  confined  between 
two  and  three  hundred  prisoners.     Quite  a  num- 


242  THE     ESCAPE 

ber  of  them  had  also  been  re-captured  in  attempt- 
ing to  make  their  escape. 

That  night  I  could  hardly  find  sufficient  space 
on  the  floor  to  lie  down,  the  room  being  so  crowd- 
ed, and  the  heat  so  oppressive  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  sleep.  The  next  day  they  took  all  the 
worst  men  of  their  own  army,  whom  they  had  con- 
fined for  various  offenses  in  the  neighboring  guard- 
houses, together  with  the  Union  prisoners  and  quite 
a  number  of  slaves,  that  had  attempted  to  escape 
from  their  masters,  and  put  us  all  in  a  cotton-shed. 

It  was  a  low  building,  and  occupied  nearly  an 
entire  square,  with  a  hollow  court  in  the  center. 
This  was  decidedly  a  hard  place,  as  hot  as  an  oven, 
with  next  to  nothing  to  eat,  and  a  very  scanty  al- 
lowance of  warm  river-water  to  drink.  In  the 
center  of  the  shed,  the  cooking  was  done  for  all 
the  inmates.  We  had  but  very  few  cooking  uten- 
sils, therefore  those  who  did  not  get  to  cook  their 
rations  by  daylight,  had  to  keep  up  the  fires  and 
do  their  cooking  after  nightfall.  About  one-fourth 
of  the  prisoners  had  a  ball  and  chain  to  their 
legs,  or  were  chained  together  in  pairs.  To  awake 
during  the  night,  and  hear  the  yelling  and  cursing, 
the  rattling  of  chains,  and  see  the  air  filled  with 
sparks  and  ashes,  as  the  fires  were  stirred  up  by 
the  cooks,  was  enough  to  make  one  believe  that 
he  was  in  Pandemonium. 

With  insufficient  food,  bad  weather,  and  worn 
out  from  traveling  so  far,  I  was  afraid  it  would 
bring   on  sickness,  which,  in  such  a  place,  would 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  243 

be  equal  to  a  through  ticket  to  eternity.  I  learned 
from  the  guards,  that  there  was  a  Union  hospital 
in  town,  containing  several  hundred  wounded  sol- 
diers, that  had  been  captured  from  Gen.  Steele's 
command,  in  charge  of  two  of  our  own  Doctors. 
We  managed  to  send  a  note  out  to  the  Surgeon  in 
charge,  telling  him  how  we  were  situated  ;  that  we 
had  no  clothes  fit  to  wear,  and  scarcely  anything 
to  eat.  He  sent  us  word  to  keep  quiet ;  that  he 
would  have  us  paroled  and  sent  to  his  hospital. 
Among  other  articles  sent  through  the  lines  by  our 
Government,  for  the  use  of  the  wounded,  was  a 
barrel  of  whisky.  By  using  it  occasionally  among 
the  officers  in  charge  of  us,  he  gained  their  con- 
sent to  have  Lieut.  Srofe  and  myself  paroled,  and 
sent  to  the  hospital. 

When  we  reached  the  hospital,  we  thought  our 
happiness  was  complete,  we  were  so  kindly  greet- 
ed by  all.  We  both  received  a  suit  of  army  blue, 
and  plenty  to  eat.  Here  we  met  Maj.  McCauley 
and  his  comrade,  of  whose  capture,  near  Rock 
Comfort,  Arkansas,  the  three  slaves  had  previous- 
ly informed  us. 

September  30th,  all  the  Union  prisoners  that 
were  able  to  travel,  numbering  about  three  hun- 
dred, were  ordered  to  Shreveport,  Louisiana,  one 
hundred  and  ten  miles  distant.  We  were  guarded 
by  a  company  of  cavalry,  in  command  of  Captain 
Montgomery,  whose  very  name  was  a  terror  to  the 
Union  prisoners.  I  had  heard  of  his  brutal  treat- 
ment of  Federal  soldiers,  and  was  continually  on 


244  THE     ESCAPE 

my  guard,  not  to  incur  his  displeasure.  Behind 
the  last  file  of  prisoners  rode  five  rebels,  with  lari- 
ats, with  orders  to  lasso  and  drag  every  one  by  the 
neck  that  did  not  keep  up  with  the  cavalry  guards. 

Many  a  poor  fellow  was  thus  terribly  punished 
for  failing  to  keep  ahead  of  the  "ropers, "  as  they 
were  called.  One  young  soldier  was  lassoed  so 
often,  and  failing  to  travel  with  the  rope  around  his 
neck,  as  fast  as  the  mounted  "  ropers,  "  he  was 
dragged  so  frequently  that  he  died  from  the  effects 
of  it,  about  a  week  after  he  reached  Camp  Ford. 
Capt.  Franz,  of  the  9th  Wisconsin  Vols.,  whose  arm 
had  been  amputated  but  a  short  time  previous,  and 
who  was  still  suffering  from  the  effects  of  the  oper- 
ation, was  unable  to  keep  up  one  day.  He  was 
told  by  the  "  ropers  "  that,  unless  he  marched 
faster,  they  would  put  the  rope  around  his  neck. 
He  halted  where  he  stood,  and  replied,  that  he  was 
marching  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  that  they  were 
welcome  to  do  their  worst — he  could  do  no  better. 
They  made  no  reply,  nor  did  they  molest  him  after 
that.  Capt.  Franz  informed  me  afterward,  that  he 
felt  so  miserable,  that  had  they  taken  his  life  on 
the  spot  he  would  have  considered  it  a  deed  of 
mercy. 

Behind  the  "  ropers  "  were  another  set  of  tor- 
mentors, consisting  of  three  rebels,  with  a  pack  of 
blood-hounds,  to  hunt  down  those  who  attempted 
to  escape.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  get  away 
from  them,  and  yet  two  of  our  men  were  so  fool- 
hardy as  to  make  the  attempt.     As  soon  as  they 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  245 

were  missed,  the  rebels  put  the  hounds  on  their 
trail,  and  in  the  course  of  four  or  five  hours  after- 
ward the  rebels,  with  the  dogs,  caught  up  with  us 
again.  When  asked  by  their  comrades  whether 
they  had  caught  the  "  Yankees,  "  they  replied  that 
the  dogs  had  killed  one  of  them  before  they  came 
up,  and  the  other  was  so  badly  torn  that  they  had 
to  leave  him  in  a  hospital  on  the  road  !  That  was 
the  last  I  ever  heard  of  either  of  them. 

When  we  halted  for  the  night,  after  the  first 
day's  march  from  Camden,  Capt.  Montgomery 
laid  out  our  camping-ground  by  driving  stakes  at 
the  four  corners.  One  of  the  prisoners,  not  know- 
ing how  the  stakes  came  there,  pulled  one  of  them 
up  to  kindle  a  fire  with.  The  Captain  saw  him  in 
the  act,  and  came  rushing  up,  took  the  stake  out 
of  his  hand,  and  without  saying  a  word,  struck 
him  on  the  head  with  it  and  felled  him  to  the 
ground. 

It  rained  nearly  all  night,  and  as  we  had  no  pro- 
tection from  the  weather,  we  spent  a  miserable 
night.  The  next  morning  it  was  very  muddy  travel- 
ing, and  the  small  streams  on  the  road  were  out  of 
their  banks.  In  trying  to  avoid  wading  through 
the  water  of  a  small  stream,  by  crossing  on  a  foot- 
log  by  the  road-side,  a  guard  called  me  back,  after 
I  was  half-way  across,  and  ordered  me  to  wade 
through  the  water  in  the  middle  of  the  road;  at 
the  same  time  he  halted  his  horse  and  aimed  his 
gun  at  me.  Consequently,  I  hurried  back  and 
floundered  through  the  water,  to  his  entire   satis- 


246  THE     ESCAPE 

faction.  This  is  a  fair  specimen  of  our  treatment 
while  on  the  road  to  the  stockade. 

We  arrived  at  Shreveport  on  the  5  th  of  October, 
having  marched  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  in 
four  days  and  a  half.  Shreveport  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  rebel  army,  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  I  counted  eight  steamboats  and  two  gun- 
boats at  the  wharf,  and  the  streets  were  crowded 
with  rebel  soldiers. 

We  crossed  Red  River  on  a  pontoon  bridge,  in 
front  of  the  city,  and  marched  up  Main  Street  to 
the  Provost  Marshal's  office.  While  our  names 
were  being  taken  by  that  officer,  Capt.  Birchett, 
the  rebel  Assistant  Agent  for  the  Exchange  of 
Prisoners,  with  whom  I  was  well  acquainted,  came 
walking  along  the  side-walk.  As  soon  as  he  saw 
me,  he  stepped  up  to  where  I  stood,  and  said, 
"  Where  in  the  world  did  you  come  from  ?"  I  re- 
plied that  I  had  made  my  escape,  but  had  been 
re-captured  in  Arkansas.  He  said,  "  you  missed 
it  this  time,  sure;  your  regiment  has  just  arrived  at 
the  Four  Mile  Springs,  paroled,  and  are  on  their 
way  home.  "  I  had  never  thought  of  an  exchange 
taking  place  so  soon.  I  tried  to  smile  and  pre- 
tend I  did  not  care,  but  I  think  I  made  a  failure 
of  it.  He  stepped  back  and  began  talking  with 
the  rebels  who  crowded  around  him,  and  from  the 
manner  in  which  they  stared  at  me,  I  supposed  he 
was  giving  them  my  history. 

From  there  they  took  us  about  two  miles  out 
of  town,  to  a  rebel  camp.    Here  we  remained  four 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  247 

days,  and  during  that  time  they  kept  telling  us  that 
we  would  be  sent  home  with  our  Regiment,  which 
was  as  hard  a  punishment  as  they  could  have  in- 
flicted, as  it  raised  our  hopes  of  release,  only  to  dis- 
appoint them. 

On  the  8th  day  of  October,  we  were  ordered  to 
start  immediately  for  Camp  Ford,  no  miles  west. 
We  were  still  guarded  by  the  same  cavalry,  and  in 
the  same  manner  as  before.  A  few  hours  march 
brought  us  to  where  our  Regiment  was  encamped 
by  the  roadside,  waiting  for  the  rebels  to  repair  their 
steamboats,  to  take  them  to  the  Mississippi  River. 
They  had  heard  that  Lieut.  Srofe  and  myself  were 
on  our  way  back  to  prison,  and  had  collected  all  the 
spare  change  in  the  Regiment,  which  amounted  to 
twenty  dollars  in  green-backs  and  two  dollars  in  sil- 
ver. As  we  passed  by,  Capt.  Thomas  Montgomery, 
of  my  Regiment,  gave  the  money,  and  the  letters 
that  had  arrived  for  us  during  our  absence,  to  one 
of  the  guards,  who  handed  them  over  to  me.  In  a 
few  words  I  gave  Capt.  Montgomery  instructions 
what  to  do  with  my  private  property  that  had  not 
been  captured,  and  to  do  all  he  could  to  have  us 
exchanged.  The  paroled  prisoners  had  received 
strict  orders,  that  if  any  one  of  them  conversed 
with  us  as  we  passed,  they  would  be  sent  back 
again  to  the  stockade  ;  consequently,  the  conver- 
sation was  necessarily  carried  on  entirely  by  my- 
self. 

All    the    hardships    and    suffering   of  my  three 
years'  service  seemed  to  dwindle  into  insignificance 


248  THE     ESCAPE 

when  compared  to  the  utter  despair  I  felt  on  that 
memorable  day  ;  and  it  was  with  a  heavy  heart 
and  weary  footsteps  that  I  resumed  my  westward 
journey  after  my  brief  interview. 

The  incidents  of  the  march,  the  perusal  of  the 
first  letters  received  since  my  capture,  in  which  I 
received  the  first  intimation  that  I  had  been  re- 
ported among  the  killed,  in  the  official  report  01 
the  battle  of  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  and  that  little 
word,  "Hope,"  all  tended  toward  wearing  off  the 
first  disappointment,  at  missing  my  chance  of  ex- 
change with  my  Regiment.  After  a  tiresome 
march  of  twenty-five  miles,  we  camped  in  the 
evening  near  a  deserted  cavalry  camp,  where  I 
found  a  lot  of  corn-cobs,  with  a  few  grains  of  corn 
at  each  end,  which  the  horses  had  not  eaten  off. 
I  began  to  gather  them  up,  and  had  quite  an 
arm-full,  when  a  rebel  seeing  me,  asked  what  I  in- 
tended to  do  with  those  cobs.  I  replied  that  I 
was  going  to  parch  the  corn  for  my  supper.  He 
seemed  surprised,  and  told  me  to  throw  it  away 
and  he  would  get  me  some  good  corn.  That  eve- 
ning he  brought  me  four  large  ears,  which  I  was 
almost  tempted  to  keep  for  myself,  but  upon  sec- 
ond thought,  I  divided  it  equally  with  my  mess- 
mates. 

The  pint  of  corn-meal,  and  the  small  slice  01 
bacon,  that  we  received  daily,  was  insufficient  food 
on  which  to  march  from  25  to  30  miles  a  day, 
and  but  for  stray  ears  of  corn  that  we  picked  up 
on  the   march,  and  the  few  crumbs  begged  of  the 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  249 

guards,  some  of  the  prisoners  would  never  have 
reached  the  stockade. 

The  next  morning,  when  Lieut.  Srofe  awoke, 
he  discovered  that  one  of  the  rebels  had 
stolen  his  blouse  while  he  was  asleep.  He 
found  the  soldier  that  had  taken  it,  but  no 
amount  of  persuasion  could  induce  him  to  re- 
turn it  to  the  rightful  owner.  Lieut.  Srofe  then  de- 
livered a  free  lecture  on  stealing,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  guards.  As  the  blouse  was  not  returned,  Lieut. 
Srofe  resumed  the  journey  in  his  shirt-sleeves. 

That  evening  we  camped  near  a  rebel's  house, 
who  refused  to  let  "Yankees"  have  any  water 
from  his  well,  without  which  we  could  not  prepare 
our  corn-meal.  After  trying  in  vain  to  eat  it  raw, 
we  parched  it  slightly,  which  made  it  more  palat- 
able. Some  time  in  the  night  the  guards  discover- 
ed some  stagnant  pools  of  water  near  camp,  which 
they  permitted  us  to  use. 

October  12th,  we  arrived  at  Camp  Ford,  Texas, 
our  old  home.  We  had  marched  the  distance 
from  Shreveport,  one  hundred  and  ten  miles,  in 
four  days.  After  calling  the  roll,  we  were  turned 
over  to  the  prison-commander,  Col.  llrown.  In 
our  absence,  the  old  guards  had  been  relieved, 
and  State  troops  had  taken  their  place.  Before 
we  were  turned  into  the  stockade,  Lieut.  Srofe  and 
myself  received  our  sentence  from  Col.  Brown 
for  attempting  to  escape.  The  sentence  was, 
"never  to  be  exchanged,  but  to  remain  in  prison 
until  the  close  of  the  war." 


250  THE     ESCAPE 

This  was  a  hard  blow,  and  we  did  not  rest  un- 
til we  appealed  to  the  rebel  Assistant  Agent  of  Ex- 
change. He  gave  us  poor  comfort,  and  said  there 
was  no  appeal  from  the  decision  that  had  been 
made,  consequently  the  sentence  would  be  carried 
out.  He  even  went  farther,  and  ridiculed  us  for  be- 
ing re-captured.  I  met  this  same  Captain  after  the 
war  in  New  Orleans,  and  he  had  the  impudence  to 
tell  me  that  I  had  not  been  treated  right !  I  an- 
swered him  that  he  might  have  done  a  great  deal 
for  me  at  one  time,  but  he  failed  to  do  so,  there- 
fore I  did  not  want  to  hear  any  apologies  on  the 
subject. 

After  we  were  turned  into  the  stockade  we  were 
greeted  on  all  sides  by  our  friends,  saying  they 
were  very  sorry  to  see  us,  and  the  reader  can  rest 
assured  the  feeling  was  fully  reciprocated.  In  the 
evening,  while  surrounded  by  our  old  comrades, 
and  relating  to  them  the  adventures  and  misfor- 
tunes of  our  trip,  Lieut.  Cone,  with  his  glee  club, 
surprised  us  with  a  serenade,  in  honor  of  our  re- 
turn. The  singing  had  a  cheering  effect  on  our 
drooping  spirits,  but  when  they  closed  the  enter- 
tainment with  the  following  song,  the  audience 
and  fingers  could  scarcely  suppress  a  smile  : 

"Home  again  !  Home  again  !  from  a  foreign  shore, 
And  oh,  it  fills  my  bouI  with  joy, 
To  meet  my  friends  once  more  !" 

That  night,  weary  and  completely  worn  out, 
after  an  absence  of  one  month  and  twenty-two 
days,  we  slept  once  more  in  our  old  bunks.     Dur- 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  25 1 

ing  that  time,  we  had  traveled  five  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles,  lived  on  parched  corn  a  good 
portion  of  the  time,  and  last,  but  not  least,  we 
had  missed  being  exchanged ! 

As  winter  was  approaching,  farther  attempts  to 
escape  were  impracticable,  until  the  following 
summer,  therefore  we  tried  to  make  ourselves  as 
comfortable  as  possible  and  "bide  our  time." 
Our  old  cabin  which  we  had  occupied  before  we 
left,  was  over-crowded  with  strangers.  We  there- 
fore did  not  reclaim  our  property,  but  accepted 
an  invitation  to  live  with  Mess  No.  n,  which  was 
composed  of  the  following  prisoners  :  Engineers 
Bradley  and  Fales,  of  the  Navy  ;  Lieut.  Harkness, 
77th  111.  Infantry;  Joseph  Day,  of  the  Chicago 
Mercantile  Battery;  Maj.  McCauly,  ist  Indiana 
Cavalry;  Lieut.  Srofe  and  myself.  Oar  shanty 
was  a  very  poor  affair,  but  before  winter  set  in  we 
built  us  a  new  log  cabin. 

The  prison-commander  had  given  the  control 
of  all  privileges  granted  to  the  prisoners,  to  Capt. 
J.  M.  McCullock,  77th  111.  Vols.  He  was  well 
suited  for  the  position,  and  did  justice  to  all  the 
prisoners,  without  fear  or  favor.  Through  his  in- 
fluence, we  secured  the  use  of  a  yoke  of  oxen,  to 
haul  logs  for  our  new  house.  When  we  had  all 
our  timber  ready,  we  tore  down  the  old  shanty, 
and  raised  our  new  log  cabin,  and  moved  into  it 
the  same  day.  It  was  ten  by  twelve  feet,  and  had 
no  windows,  depending  altogether  upon  the  door 
for  light.     We  had  a  clay  fire-place,  but  wood  was 


252  THE     ESCAPE 

scarce,  and  we  had  to  carry  nearly  all  of  it  over 
a  half-mile,  and  only  had  that  opportunity  a  few- 
hours  every  two  weeks. 

The  weather  was  very  pleasant  during  the  win- 
ter, excepting  when  the  Northers  raged.  They 
generally  came  up  very  suddenly,  without  any 
warning,  and  changed  the  temperature  from  a 
sultry  heat  to  a  wintry  blast.  The  wind  pene- 
trated through  our  scant  clothing  and  sent  us  shiv- 
ing  to  our  shanties,  where  we  crawled  into  our 
bunks  and  waited  until  the  Norther  subsided. 
They  generally  lasted  from  twenty-four  to  forty- 
eight  hours. 

Prison-life  had  not  changed  much  during  our 
absence.  We  received  our  pint  of  corn-meal  and 
a  small  piece  of  beef,  daily,  excepting  on  rainy 
days,  when  we  had  to  wait  for  fair  weather.  Oc- 
casionally the  arrival  of  a  mail  broke  the  monotony 
of  prison,  but  it  was  very  seldom  that  we  received 
any  communication  from  the  outside  world.  I  have 
known  cases  where  prisoners  received  no  word 
from  their  families  after  they  were  captured,  and 
none  of  their  own  letters  ever  reached  home,  dur- 
ing their  entire  imprisonment.  Ofl  returning 
home  after  their  release,  they  learned  that  they 
had  been  mourned  as  dead,  and  their  families 
broken  up  and  scattered. 

The  rebel  papers  generally  gave  very  glowing  ac- 
counts of  military  matters  from  their  stand-point, 
and  converted  every  defeat  into  a  victory  for  their 
arms;    therefore    the   prison    authorities   sent  us 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  253 

their  papers  regularly,  for  our  perusal,  but  as  we 
knew  what  allowance  to  make  for  their  statements, 
we  were  very  seldom  misled  in  regard  to  the  true 
state  of  affairs. 

When  I  was  first  captured,  I  bought  two  yards 
of  ingrain  carpet,  for  eight  dollars,  to  use  in  place 
of  a  blanket,  but  when  the  Regiment  was  ex- 
changed it  was  disposed  of,  which  left  me  without 
any  bedding  whatever.  In  the  first  days  of  my 
captivity  I  had  sold  my  buck  gauntlets  to  a  rebel 
officer  for  thirty  dollars,  and  did  not  know  the 
value  of  Confederate  money  until  I  expended  it 
for  ginger-cakes,  at  one  dollar  each  !  The  brass 
buttons  on  my  coat  went  one  at  a  time,  at  one 
dollar  each.  My  watch  I  had  long  ago  parted 
with,  for  forty  pounds  of  bacon.  The  money  re- 
ceived when  we  passed  our  Regiment  was  soon 
spent,  and  I  was  once  more  penniless,  but  fortu- 
nately I  met  with  an  opportunity  to  borrow  one 
hundred  dollars  in  greenbacks  at  fifty  per  cent,  in- 
terest, payable  as  soon  as  I  was  exchanged.  While 
the  money  lasted,  our  mess  purchased  as  much  pro- 
visions daily  as  the  rebels  supplied  us  with,  but 
after  the  money  was  spent  we  had  to  fall  back  on 
our  regular  allowance  again. 

When  the  day  of  the  Presidential  election  ar- 
rived, Nov.  8th,  1864,  the  rebel  authorities,  to  as- 
certain the  sentiment  of  the  prisoners,  offered  us 
the  necessary  paper  to  hold  an  election  in  prison. 
The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the  election  was  held 
in  due  form.     I  was  selected  as  one  of  the  judges, 


254  THE     ESCAPE 

and  still  have  the  original  list,  with  the  number  of 
votes  of  each  of  the  thirteen  wards  into  which 
the  prison  was  divided.  Lincoln  received  1,504 
votes,  and  McClellan  687. 

Soon  after  the  election,  quite  a  number  of 
roughs,  under  the  leadership  of  some  desperate 
characters  from  New  York  City,  armed  themselves 
with  clubs,  for  the  purpose  of  plundering  the 
camp.  In  open  daylight,  they  drove  the  peaceful 
portion  of  the  prisoners  out  of  their  quarters,  and 
robbed  them  of  everything  found  in  their  cabins. 
For  three  or  four  days  they  had  full  sway,  but 
very  quietly  the  "Regulators"  prepared  their 
heavy  clubs,  and  the  two  factions  met  one  after- 
noon on  the  principal  street.  It  was  a  sight  long 
to  be  remembered,  when  the  two  opposing  parties, 
brandishing  their  clubs,  rushed  at  each  other 
with  a  yell,  and  the  noise  and  confusion  that 
arose,  as  the  huge  mass  swayed  back  and  forth 
during  the  melee,  was  fearful.  The  roughs  were 
finally  overpowered  and  driven  to  their  quarters, 
and  did  not  cause  any  more  trouble  afterwards. 
The  wounded  on  both  sides  were  numerous,  but 
none  were  fatally  injured. 

Every  feasible  plan  was  tried  to  pass  away  the 
time,  which  hung  heavily  on  our  hands.  The  un- 
varying sameness  of  our  existence,  day  after  day, 
bore  down  upon  the  mind  like  a  heavy  weight,  but 
the  suffering  incident  to  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold  and  insufficient  food,  could  be  borne  better 
than  the  mental  strain,  caused  by  the  close   con- 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  255 

finement  and  the  ever-recurring  thoughts  of  free- 
dom and  home.  Our  only  relief  at  such  times, 
from  an  overcharged  mind,  was  to  "tramp  in  the 
ring,"  as  it  was  called.  The  track  was  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  prison,  and  was  ioo  yards  in  circum- 
ference. The  steady  tramp  of  the  prisoners  was 
heard  from  early  morn  until  late  at  night.  They 
marched  singly  and  in  squads  around  the  circle, 
until  completely  worn  out,  when  others  took  their 
places,  and  the  endless  tramp  was  continued.  As 
winter  approached,  the  cold  weather  and  scarcity 
of  fuel  helped  materially  to  swell  the  throng. 


256  THE     ESCAPE 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Rebel  Army  Ordered  to  Richmond,  Va.— The  Troops 
Refuse  to  Cross  the  Mississippi — Invasion  of  Missouri 
— Rebel  Soldiers  Plundering  their  Own  People — Burial 
of  the  Beef — Plot  to  Overpower  the  Guards — 1,200 
Prisoners  Exchanged — Their  Condition  When  They 
Reached  New  Orleans — The  Last  Ditch — Foreign  Inter- 
vention— Lee's  Surrender — The  War  to  Last  Forty 
Years  Longer — ''The  Gates  Ajar" — The  Homeward  Jour- 
ney— Under  the  Old  Flag — Mustered  Out— Description 
of  Camp  Ford,  Three  Months  After  our  Departure — De- 
struction of  Camp  Ford. 

gf|EN.  KIRBY  SMITH,  who  commanded  the 
■SUB  rebel  forces  west  of  the  Mississippi  river,  re- 
ceived orders  from  Richmond,  Va.,  during  the 
summer  of  1864,  to  cross  the  Mississippi  river  with 
his  whole  army,  which,  according  to  their  own 
estimates,  numbered  60,000  effective  men,  and 
march  to  the  relief  of  Gen.  Lee.  Some  of  the 
troops  were  started  in  the  direction  of  the  points 
selected  for  the  crossing,  but  the  soldiers  refused 
to  cross  under  the  fire  of  the  gun-boats.  The 
scheme  was  finally  abandoned,  and  instead,  ex- 
tensive peparations  were  made  to  invade  Missouri. 
In  the  latter  part  of  August,  all  the  arrangements 
were  completed,  and  the  expedition,  consisting  of 
three  divisions  of  cavalry,  under  Maj.  Gen.  Price, 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  257 

started  on  the  Missouri   campaign,  that  ended  so 
disastrously  to  the  rebel  army. 

T.  C.  Reynolds,  the  rebel  Governor  of  Missouri, 
accompanied  the  expedition,  for  the  purpose  of 
re-establishing  his  authority,  if  they  were  success- 
ful in  holding  the  State,  but  they  failed,  and  re- 
turned, defeated  and  badly  demoralized,  in  No- 
vember. After  their  return,  Governor  Reynolds 
published  a  letter  in  the  Marshall  (Tex.)  Repub- 
lican, of  Dec.  23d,  1864,  in  which  he  reviewed  the 
causes  that  led  to  the  failure  of  the  expedition. 
The  principal  cause  he  stated  was  the  lack  of  dis- 
cipline, for  which  he  held  Gen.  Price  individually 
responsible.  As  the  rebels  always  stigmatized  the 
Union  soldiers  as  robbers  and  murderers,  and  ex- 
alted the  Confederate  soldiers  as  the  "  Southern 
Chivalry,  "  therefore  the  following  extract  from 
Governor  Reynolds'  letter,  may  be  of  interest  by 
way  of  contrast  : 

"Marshall,  Texas,  Dec.  17,  1864. 

*  *  *  "it  would  take  a  volume  to  describe 
the  acts  of  outrage  ;  neither  station,  age  or  sex, 
was  any  protection.  Southern  men  and  women 
were  as  little  spared  as  Unionists.  The  elegant 
mansion  of  Gen.  R.  E.  Lee's  accomplished  niece, 
and  the  cabins  of  the  negro,  were  alike  ransacked. 
John  Deane,  the  first  civilian  ever  made  a  State 
prisoner  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  Government,  had  his 
watch  and  money  robbed  from  his  person  in  the 
streets  of  Potosi,  in  broad  day,  as  unceremoni- 
ously as  the  German    merchant  at    Frederickton 


258  THE    ESCAPE 

was  forced,  a  pistol  at  his  ear,  to  surrender  his 
concealed  greenbacks.  As  the  citizens  of  Ar- 
kansas and  Northern  Texas  have  seen,  in  the 
goods  unblushingly  offered  them  for  sale,  the 
clothes  of  the  poor  man's  infant  were  as  attract- 
ive spoil  as  the  merchant's  silks  and  calico,  or  the 
curtains  taken  from  the  rich  man's  parlor.  Rib- 
bons and  trumpery  gewgaws  were  stolen  from  the 
milliners,  and  jeweled  rings  forced  from  the  fin- 
gers of  delicate  maidens,  whose  brothers  were 
fighting  in  Georgia  in  Cockerell's  Confederate 
Missouri  brigade. 

*  *  *  "  The  disorders  still  continued.  They 
may  be  judged  of  by  the  fact,  that  at  Booneville, 
the  hotel  occupied  as  Gen.  Price's  headquarters 
was  the  scene  of  drunken  revelry  by  night;  that 
guerrillas  rode  unchecked,  in  open  day,  before  it, 
with  human  scalps  hanging  to  their  bridles,  and 
tauntingly  shaking  bundles  of  plundered  green- 
backs at  our  needy  soldiers  ;  and  that  in  an  offi- 
cial letter  to  him  there,  which  he  left  unanswered 
and  undenied,  I  asserted,  that  while  'the  whole- 
sale pillage  in  the  vicinity  of  the  army  had  made 
it  impossible  to  obtain  anything  by  purchase, 
stragglers  and  camp-followers  were  enriching 
themselves  by  plundering  the  defenseless  families 
of  our  own  soldiers  in  Confederate  service. 

"On  still  darker  deeds,  I  shudderingly  keep 
silent.  *  *  *  God-fearing  men  trembled  lest, 
in  Heaven's  anger  at  the  excesses  which  had 
marked  the  campaign,  some  thunderbolt  of  calam- 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  259 

ity  should  fall  upon  our  arms.     It  did  fall,  and  like 
a  thunderbolt.     *     *     * 

"THOS.  C.  REYNOLDS, 

"Governor  of  Missouri." 
The  Christmas  and  New  Year's  holidays  came 
and  went,  but  nothing  occurred  to  break  the  mo- 
notony of  our  existence,  excepting  that,  in  addi- 
tion to  our  regular  fare,  our  mess  feasted  on  sweet 
potatoes  and  black-eyed  peas,  which  we  had  pur- 
chased from  a  friendly  guard,  at  the  rate  of  twenty 
dollars  per  bushel  ! 

During  the  winter,  our  beef  was  blue  and  very 
lean.  We  notified  the  prison  commander,  Col. 
Perkins,  who  had  relieved  Col.  Brown,  that  our 
beef  was  not  fit  to  eat,  but  our  complaints  were 
not  heeded.  The  rebels  who  guarded  us,  muti- 
nied against  receiving  such  meat,  and  took  one 
day's  rations,  consisting  of  nearly  a  whole  beef, 
dug  a  grave,  and  buried  it  with  the  honors  of  war, 
not  forgetting  to  fire  the  parting  volley  over  the 
grave.  From  that  time  their  rations  were  changed 
to  bacon.  We  could  not  think  of  committing 
such  an  extravagance  as  to  bury  even  a  single 
day's  rations  of  tough  beef,  though  we  knew  that 
they  would  be  changed  afterward  for  the  better. 

In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1865,  I  received  a 
notice  to  attend  a  secret  meeting,  in  the  cabin  oc- 
cupied by  the  officers  of  the  130th  Ills.  At  dark,  I 
went  to  the  place  where  the  meeting  was  to  be 
held.  I  found  the  door  strongly  guarded,  and 
sentinels  posted  outside,  to  give  the  alarm  in  case 


260  THE     ESCAPE 

of  any  outside  intrusion.  After  some  delay  I  was 
admitted,  and  as  I  entered,  a  Kansas  Captain  was 
making  an  eloquent  appeal  to  a  crowded  house,  urg- 
ing the  prisoners  to  overpower  the  guards,  mount 
themselves  with  the  horses  belonging  to  the  guards, 
and  others  that  could  be  found  in  the  vicinity, 
and  strike  for  the  land  of  freedom.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  other  speakers  followed,  who  were  the  lead- 
ers in  the  plot,  and  any  one  who  attempted  to  say 
a  word  against  the  proposition  was  hissed  down 
and  denounced  as  a  coward.  My  opinion  was 
that  it  was  a  very  dangerous  project.  I  had  seen  a 
portion  of  the  rebel  army  after  my  re-capture,  that 
would  confront  us,  even  if  we  succeeded  in  over- 
powering the  prison-guards.  But  I  dare  not  ex- 
press my  real  opinion  before  such  an  audience. 

At  length  I  was  called  upon  to  express  my 
views  upon  the  subject.  I  remarked  that  they 
could  depend  on  me  in  anything  they  would  un- 
dertake, to  get  out  of  prison,  but  I  would  not  go 
into  anything  blindly.  I  considered  it  a  very 
serious  business.  I  wanted  them  to  investigate 
the  matter  in  regard  to  the  number  of  horses  that 
we  could  get  in  the  neighborhood,  and  how  many 
arms  were  stored  in  Tyler,  etc. ;  then  we  might 
talk  of  action,  and  not  before.  My  remarks  had 
the  desired  effect,  and  it  was  immediately  moved 
that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  get  all 
the  necessary  information,  to  enable  us  to  make 
our  escape  "en  masse."  I  was  placed  on  the  com- 
mittee, and  by  making  a  show  of   great  energy  I 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  261 

had  it  all  my  own  way.  I  kept  putting  off  my 
report  from  day  to  day  under  various  pretexts,  in 
order  to  gain  time,  until  finally  I  hardly  knew 
what  excuse  to  offer  for  any  further  delay,  when 
orders  were  received  to  forward  1,200  prisoners 
for  exchange,  and  the  prospect  was  that  more 
would  soon  follow,  which  nipped  the  plot  in  the 
bud. 

Our  Government  sent  us  a  lot  of  clothing,  which 
was  received  on  the  first  of  February,  and  was  dis- 
tributed only  to  the  most  needy.  From  the  boxes 
that  the  clothing  was  packed  in,  several  new  in- 
dustries sprang  up.  From  the  strap-iron  around 
the  boxes,  table-knives  were  manufactured,  and 
from  the  lumber,  violins  were  made. 

To  Lieut.  Paine,  of  the  18th  New  York  Cavalry, 
I  am  indebted  for  a  fine  violin.  He  plied  his  trade 
for  two  months  to  good  advantage,  on  the  instru- 
ment, his  only  tool  being  the  broken  blade  of  a 
knife.  He  presented  the  violin  to  me  when  he 
and  Capt.  Dill  made  their  escape.  They  started 
for  the  coast,  and  got  within  sight  of  the  gunboats, 
when  they  were  re-captured  and  taken  to  Houston, 
Texas,  and  held  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Feb.  10th,  1200  prisoners  were  exchanged.  The 
following  is  an  extract  from  the  Cincinnati  Com- 
mercial, of  March  nth,  1865,  written  by  their 
New  Orleans  correspondent,  which  gives  a  faith- 
ful description  of  the  condition  of  the  prisoners 
when  they  reached  our  lines  : 


262  THE     ESCAPE 

"  New  Orleans,  Feb.  28,  1865. 

"  The  first  prisoners  of  the  new  regulation  for 
exchange,  were  received  here  day  before  yester- 
day, the  77th  Ohio,  36th  Iowa,  and  portions  of 
other  regiments,  arriving  here  from  Texas. 

"  From  Capt.  McCormick,  77th  Ohio,  and  the 
Prison  Hospital  Steward,  T.  J.  Robinson,  of  the 
36th  Iowa,  I  have  learned  a  few  facts,  regarding 
the  situation  and  treatment  while  in  prison  at  Ty- 
ler, Texas.  It  is  an  oft-told  tale — the  same  sad 
narrative  of  abuse  and  privation  which  has  be- 
come in  this  war,  alas  !  so  common. 

"  Most  of  the  men  were  taken  at  Marks'  Mills, 
Ark.,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  been  marched  to  the 
rear,  they  were  systematically  and  completely 
stripped  of  everything — hats,  blankets,  boots,  etc. 
Arrived  at  Tyler,  4,300  were  crowded  into  a  stock- 
ade of  four  acres,  on  a  hill-side,  without  anything 
to  protect  them  from  the  dews,  rain  or  sun.  With- 
out a  blanket,  or  a  shingle,  or  even  a  dry  bough  of 
a  tree,  to  screen  themselves,  they  were  told,  in 
mockery,  to  "  make  themselves  as  comfortable  as 
possible.  " 

With  an  old  ax,  a  saw  and  an  auger,  they  built 
two  wretched  pens,  covered  partly  with  brush  and 
partly  with  puncheons,  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  sick.  They  had  not  a  nail  or  a  board,  or  any 
straw,  with  which  to  make  bunks  for  them.  In 
these  miserable  abodes,  there  were  generally  from 
120  to  160  sick  at  a  time.  To  these  there  was 
issued  enough  quinine  and  the  commonest  drugs, 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  263 

for  about  twenty  men,  and  the  rebel  surgeon,  ap- 
pointed to  have  them  in  charge  during  the  last  six 
weeks,  came  to  look  after  them  twice. 

"  There  was  an  absolute  lack  of  every  comfort. 
'  Many  a  poor  fellow,  '  said  the  Steward  to  me, 
'  has  died  in  the  night,  when  we  had  not  even  the 
light  of  a  tallow  candle  to  close  his  eyes. '  The 
rations,  to  all  alike,  sick  and  well,  were  corn-meal 
and  beef.  In  the  summer  the  beef  was  good,  but 
after  the  frost  had  cut  down  the  prairie-grass,  it 
rapidly  grew  blue  and  lean.  These  men  have  ar- 
rived here  just  in  the  condition  in  which  they  left 
Camp  Ford,  and  are  now  quartered  at  the  camp  of 
distribution.  Three  or  four  of  them  died  on  the 
way  down,  so  worn  and  wasted  were  they,  after 
months  of  suffering  in  that  place  of  torments. 

"  It  stirs  one's  blood  like  a  trumpet,  to  grasp 
these  honest  veterans  of  many  a  battle  by  the 
hand,  hard  and  bony  though  it  be — these  bronzed 
and  battered  lads — and  hear  their  manly  voices. 
But  move  on  a  little  farther,  and  look  on  the  other 
hand  at  the  sad,  wan  faces  of  these  others,  who  sit 
silent  and  gaze  about  them,  or  upon  their^new- 
found  friends,  with  a  look  of  vacant  wonder — al- 
most idiocy — demented,  and  brought  to  the  edge 
of  the  grave  by  their  captors.  Is  it  strange  or 
foolish,  if  strong  men  speak  with  a  quivering  voice, 
and  turn  away,  that  they  may  hide  a  tear,  when 
they  look  upon  these  poor  wretches  ?  Let  him 
not  be  thought  weak  or  unmanly  who  is  thus 
moved,  for  he  must  be  indeed  something  more  or 


264  THE    ESCAPE 

less  than  human  who  could  do  otherwise.     *     * 

"  Maj.  Bering  and  Lieut.  Srofe,  of  the  48th  Ohio, 
were  detained  by  the  rebel  exchange  officer  at 
Camp  Ford,  he  claiming  that  they  had  forfeited 
their  right  to  be  exchanged,  in  consequence  of 
having  attempted  to  escape.  It  will  occur  to  most 
persons,  that  this  is  a  singular  pretext  to  advance 
for  such  a  proceeding.  Q.  P.  F" 

As  spring  advanced,  our  hope  of  release  was 
based  mainly  on  the  prospect  that  the  war  would 
soon  come  to  a  close,  which  began  to  look  like  a 
possibility  after  Hood's  defeat  at  Nashville,  Price's 
defeat  in  Missouri,  and  "  Sherman's  March  to  the 
Sea. "  Their  boast,  to  "  die  in  the  last  ditch,  " 
rather  than  come  back  into  the  Union,  was  heard 
no  more  ;  but  instead,  they  were  eagerly  looking 
for  some  foreign  power  to  take  up  their  cause,  and 
deliver  them  from  Yankee  subjugation. 

The  rebel  Gen.  R.  Taylor  says  :  "  There  was 
much  talk  about  setting  up  a  government  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  uniting  with  Maximilian,  and  call- 
ing on  Louis  Napoleon  for  assistance.  " 

Another  Southern  historian  states  : 

"  H.  W  Allen,  Governor  of  Louisiana,  had  dis- 
patched Gen.  Polignac  with  communications  to 
Napoleon  III.,  Emperor  of  the  French,  and  it  was 
desirable,  above  all  things,  to  keep  the  Confed- 
erate flag  afloat  yet  a  few  months  longer.  It  has 
since  been  ascertained,  that  two  or  three  months 
more  of  resistance  would  have  brought  recog- 
nition, and  the  salvation  of  the  Confederacy.  " 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  265 

They  were  prepared  to  bow  the  knee  to  the 
sceptre  of  any  foreign  monarch,  who  would  have 
helped  them  out  of  the  dilemma  into  which  their 
short-sighted  leaders  had  led  them.  Such  was  the 
sentiment  of  their  citizens  and  soldiers,  with  whom 
we  came  in  contact  at  that  stage  of  the  war.  Yet 
at  times,  they  were  defiant  as  ever,  and  almost 
persuaded  us  that  the  war  had  but  fairly  com- 
menced. The  gloomy  outlook  of  their  cause  had 
its  effect  on  the  prison  authorities,  which  caused 
them  to  relax  their  severity,  and  occasionally  they 
would  grant  us  some  favors. 

North  of  the  prison,  was  a  field  of  about  ten 
acres,  but  as  the  rebels  had  burned  all  the  rails, 
the  field  was  of  no  benefit  to  them.  Capt.  John 
Watts,  of  the  130th  Ills.  Vols.,  an  old,  grey-haired 
veteran,  proposed  to  Col.  Perkins,  the  prison  com- 
mander, that  if  he  would  let  him  out  every  day, 
with  twenty-five  men,  he  would  go  the  woods,  make 
rails,  carry  them  to  the  field,  fence  up  a  portion, 
and  plant  it  in  corn  and  beans,  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  agreed  to  do  the  work.  Col.  Perkins 
gave  his  consent,  with  the  proviso  that  every  man 
give  his  word  of  honor  not  to  attempt  to  escape 
while  at  work. 

On  the  first  spring  day,  "Uncle  John,"  as  the 
Captain  was  generally  called,  took  out  his  men 
and  went  to  work.  In  a  short  time  he  had  suffi 
cient  ground  fenced  in  to  raise  a  crop.  He  then 
procured  a  plow,  attached  twenty  men  to  it,  and 
broke  up  the  ground.     But  Gen.  Grant  spoiled  the 


266  THE     ESCAPE 

Captain's  calculations  about  raising  a  crop  in  Tex- 
as, when  he  forced  Gen.  Lee  and  his  army  to  sur- 
render. "  Uncle  John  "  had  to  come  away  and 
leave  his  farm  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  I 
suppose  he  has  never  forgiven  Gen.  Grant  for  not 
giving  him  time  to  reap  the  fruits  of  his  industry. 

In  the  latter  part  of  April,  the  rebel  papers  con- 
tained the  news  that  President  Lincoln  had  been 
assassinated.  We  considered  it  a  joke,  at  the  time, 
for  the  reason  that  they  had  published  a  similar 
report  about  six  months  previous;  but  gradually  it 
came  in  such  a  shape  that  we  could  no  longer 
doubt  it.  It  cast  a  gloom  over  the  prison  that  can- 
not easily  be  forgotten.  Their  papers  were  silent 
for  some  time  in  regard  to  Lee's  surrender,  which 
had  taken  place  before  the  assassination. 

At  last  it  was  whispered  around  among  the  guards 
that  Gen.  Grant  had  really  captured  Gen.  Lee's 
whole  army.  At  this  news  our  joy  knew  no  bounds, 
but  in  a  few  days  afterward,  their  papers,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  disaster  that  had  befallen  their  arms  in 
Virginia,  stated  that  it  did  not  affect  the  territory 
west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  that  they  could 
"  hold  out  for  forty  years  longer  !  "  The  papers 
also  contained  the  proclamation  of  General  Kirby 
Smith,  in  which  he  stated  that  all  they  had  to  do 
was  to  hold  out  faithfully,  and  they  would  yet  gain 
their  independence.  That  was  rather  a  damper 
on  our  buoyant  spirits  ;  but  fortunately,  our  rebel 
guards  could  not  see  it  in  that  light,  but  packed 
their  baggage,  and  in  the  night  of  May  14th,  like 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  267 

the  Arabs  of  old,  they  "folded  their  tents  and  silent- 
ly stole  away.  "  Our  feelings  can  better  be  im- 
agined than  described,  when  on  the  following 
morning  we  found  the  "  Gates  Ajar  " — not  a  soli- 
tary sentinel  on  guard,  and  the  rebel  camp  desert- 
ed !  But  strange  to  stay,  not  a  cheer  was  given, 
nor  did  a  single  yell  awake  the  echoes  of  the  sur- 
rounding hills.  The  prisoners  went  about  with  a 
dazed,  stupefied  stare.  They  were  actually  afraid 
to  trust  their  own  senses,  for  fear  it  would  turn  out 
to  be  only  a  delusion. 

It  was  some  time  before  any  one  ventured  out- 
side the  stockade,  and  when  we  did  find  out  that 
we  were  free  to  go  where  we  pleased,  comrades 
met  comrades  with  a  firm  grasp  of  the  hand,  eyes 
moist  with  tears,  and  hearts  too  full  for  utterance, 
except  a  fervent  "  Thank  God  !  " 

But  the  great  war  of  the  rebellion  was  drawing 
to  a  close.  Maj.  Gen.  Pope  had  already  demand- 
ed the  surrender  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  Depart- 
ment. Then  followed  the  negotiations,  but  before 
a  formal  surrender  could  be  agreed  upon,  the  Tex- 
as troops  held  a  conference,  and  resolved  to  dis- 
band and  go  home,  and  began  to  make  prep- 
arations to  carry  out  their  plans.  The  cavalry 
disbanded  next,  and  plundered  the  country  on 
their  route.  The  Government  warehouses  and 
manufactories  were  destroyed  and  set  on  fire.  The 
extensive  Government  works  at  Tyler  were  threat- 
ened by  a  mob,  but  the  rebel  soldiers  appropriated 
the  bulk  of  the  supplies  for  their  own  use. 


2  68  THE     ESCAPE 

On  May  16th,  some  rebel  officers  made  arrange- 
ments to  send  us  to  New  Orleans,  but  before  we 
left,  a  number  of  the  prisoners  volunteered  to  en- 
close the  cemetery  with  a  fence,  where  over  300 
of  our  men  lay  buried,  thus  paying  them  the  last 
tribute  of  respect  that  lay  in  our  power.  Among 
the  foremost  in  this  undertaking,  was  Lieutenant 
H.  Wyman,  of  the  77th  Illinois. 

May  17th,  all  the  prisoners,  numbering  about 
1200  men,  composed  of  the  120th  Ohio,  77th  and 
130th  Ills,  regiments,  andsmall  squads  from  various 
commands,  started  for  Shreveport,  accompanied 
by  a  battalion  of  rebel  cavalry,  who  volunteered  to 
escort  us  to  our  lines,  provided  that  we  would  in- 
tercede and  get  favorable  terms  of  surrender  for 
them.  When  we  reached  our  lines,  we  found  that 
our  services  were  not  required,  as  the  conditions 
of  the  surrender  of  all  Confederate  soldiers  were 
more  liberal  than  they  would  have  asked,  if  left  to 
them  to  make  their  own  terms. 

We  made  very  slow  progress  on  our  journey,  for 
the  reason  that  the  country  was  full  of  disbanded 
rebel  soldiers,  returning  to  their  homes.  We  had 
secured  a  number  of  teams,  to  haul  our  provisions 
and  sick;  but  the  rebel  soldiers  confiscated  our 
mules  and  left  us  standing  in  the  road,  with  our 
wagons.  They  said  they  had  not  been  paid  off 
for  two  years,  and  they  were  determined  to  have 
something.  As  often  as  we  procured  new  teams, 
they  were  taken  from  us.  Finally,  after  consider- 
able delay,  we  reached  Shreveport,  and  camped 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  269 

in  the  suburbs.  The  rebel  soldiers  had  attempted 
to  burn  the  city  the  night  previous  to  our  arrival, 
in  which  they  had  partly  succeeded. 

The  following  day,  several  of  the  Missouri  offi- 
cers, who  had  treated  us  so  kindly  at  Washington, 
Ark.,  paid  us  a  visit.  They  seemed  to  be  very 
much  depressed  at  the  state  of  affairs,  but  more 
particularly  as  they  expected  harsh  treatment, 
should  they  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Federal  au- 
thorities, and  no  doubt  that  was  the  principal 
cause  of  so  many  leaving  for  Mexico,  before  the 
surrender  took  place. 

In  a  few  days,  we  embarked  on  the  steamboats 
and  landed  at  the  mouth  of  Red  River,  May  27th, 
where  we  were  transferred  to  our  steamers,  under 
the  "  old  flag,  "  once  more.  We  had  become 
accustomed  to  the  slim  diet  of  the  Confederacy 
during  our  fourteen  months  imprisonment,  and 
were  well  aware  of  the  danger  ifwe  lost  control  of 
our  appetites  when  we  reached  our  lines,  there- 
fore quite  a  number  resolved  to  eat  very  spar- 
ingly for  the  first  eight  or  ten  days;  but  when  the 
gong  sounded  for  dinner,  after  we  had  been  trans= 
ferred  to  our  boats,  the  prisoners,  without  excep- 
tion, could  be  restrained  no  longer,  but  rushed  into 
the  cabin,  casting  all  their  resolutions  to  the  winds, 
and  ate  to  their  hearts'  content. 

The  following  day,  we  reached  New  Orleans, 
where  the  rebel  Generals,  Buckner  and  Price,  who 
had  accompanied  us  from  Shreveport,  surren- 
dered to  Gen.   Canby,  the  Trans  Mississippi   De- 


270  THE     ESCAPE 

partment,  which  completed  the  transfer  of  all  the 
so-called  Confederate  States,  to  the  United  States 
authorities. 

The  rest  is  soon  told.  The  war  being  over,  all 
the  prisoners,  with  but  few  exceptions,  were  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  and  sent  home.  Among 
the  latter,  I  was  included,  which  terminated  my 
military  career. 

The  following  letter  from  the  New  York  Tribune 
gives  a  graphic  description  of  "  Camp  Ford, ''  three 
months  after  our  departure. 

THE    REBEL    PRISON    AT   CAMP   FORD A    SECOND  AN- 

DERSONVILLE. 

New  York,  Aug.  18,  1865.— The  Tribune's  Ty- 
ler (Texas)  correspondent  describes  Camp  Ford, 
near  that  place,  a  prison-pen,  second  only  to  An- 
dersonvile  in  the  barbarism  and  atrocities  inflicted 
upon  Union  prisoners  for  two  years.  The  corres- 
pondent says  : 

"  Scourged,  beaten  and  tortured,  these  prison- 
ers were  too  far  off,  and  too  closely  guarded,  for 
their  groans  to  be  heard  by  those  in  the  outside 
world.  Their  sad  story  only  became  known  from 
their  own  shrunken  lips,  after  they  had  been  ex- 
changed. It  is  a  stockaded  enclosure  of  about, 
I  judge,  eight  or  ten  acres.  This  estimate  includes 
all  adjuncts  of  the  prison.  -It  is  situated  on  the 
side  of  a  sandy  slope,  at  the  lower  edge  of  which, 
and  just  within  the  stockade,  is  a  spring  that  sup- 
plied water  to  the  prisoners.    The  enclosure,  which 


AND     RE-CAPTURE.  27I 

seems  to  have  been  enlarged  at  different  times,  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  rebel  captures,  is  filled 
with  huts  and  shanties  of  almost  every  imaginable 
shape,  and  constructed  of  every  available  material. 

"  Two  barrels,  one  on  top  of  the  other,  form  the 
chimney  of  a  hut  made  of  bushes,  the  limbs  of 
which  have  been  pressed  together  and  plastered 
with  mud.  Near  the  point  at  which  we  entered, 
there  is  a  number  of  grave-like  mounds,  scattered 
over  the  space  of  about  one  acre.  I  at  first  thought 
they  were  graves,  but  on  examining,  I  found  they 
were  excavations  in  the  ground,  which  had  been 
covered,  first  with  bushes,  and  then  with  dirt. 
They  had  been  made  by  those  of  our  men  who  had 
been  captured  last,  and  for  whom  there  was  no 
room  in  the  huts  above  ground.  Everywhere  are 
blackened  spots,  which  show  where  their  fires  had 
formerly  been,  by  means  of  which  those  who  had 
no  shelter  at  all,  cooked  their  daily  mite  of  meat. 
Fragments  of  kettles  and  stoves,  old  cast-off  pans, 
and  flat  rocks,  the  cooking  utensils  they  had  used, 
were  strewn  about,  and,  as  I  noticed  in  one  of  the 
huts,  piled  up  with  care  to  await  future  use. 

"  Toward  the  upper  side  of  the  enclosure,  where 
there  seems  to  have  been  a  prison  for  the  confine- 
ment of  officers,  are  several  stumps,  on  the  top  of 
which  those  who  violated  any  of  the  prison  rules 
were  made  to  stand  and  mark  time,  for  perhaps  a 
whole  day,  while  the  guard  had  imperative  orders 
to  shoot  any  one  who  stopped,  or  fell  off  from  ex- 
haustion.    The  whole  scene,  with  its  associations, 


272  THE     ESCAPE 

is  a  horrid  illustration  of  the  inhumanity  that  origi- 
nated and  carried  on  the  rebellion  until  its  over- 
throw. Perhaps  I  am  raking  a  hurtful  coal  from 
dead  ashes,  so  I   will  stop.  " 

EXIT    "  CAMP   FORD.  " 

While  writing  the  closing  events  at  Camp  Ford, 
a  letter  lies  before  me,  from  Lieut.  W.  J.  Srofe, 
written  at  Galveston,  Texas,  Dec.  21st,  1865,  in 
which  he  says  : 

*  *  "  I  saw  Maj.  Thos.  D.  Vredenburg  *  of  the 
10th  111.  Cavalry,  a  short  time  ago.  He  had  just 
arrived  from  Shreveport  with  his  command,  'via 
Camp  Ford.  '  He  made  a  halt  at  the  stockade, 
and  his  bump  of  destructiveness  was  so  great  as  to 
prompt  him  to  leave  it  in  ruins.  Ah,  my  good 
fellow,  it  almost  makes  me  shed  tears  to  think  of 
that  master-piece  of  architecture,  our  old  home, 
being  thus  ruthlessly  destroyed  by  '  vandal  hands. ' 
When  I  think  of  the  'happy  hours'  spent  beneath 
its  roof,  the  '  delicious  feasts '  served  up  within  its 
walls,  and  '  refreshing  '  slumbers  upon  its  '  downy  ' 
beds,  where  we  dreamed  of  pleasures,  and  the 
dear  ones  at  home,  it  is  too  much  to  bear,  and  I 
think  he  deserves  the  censure  of  all  the  old  res- 
idents of  Camp  Ford  !  "     *     *     * 

*  An  old  Camt)  Ford  Prisoner. 


APPENDIX. 

Additional  List  of  Killed  and  Wounded  of  the  48th  Ohio 
Vet.  Vols. — List  of  Officers  of  the  13th  Army  Corps, 
Prisoners  at  Camp  Ford,  Texas — Roster  of  the  Com- 
missioned Officers  of  the  48th  Ohio  Vet.  Vols. 

PARTIAL  LIST  of  killed  and  wounded  of  the 
48th  Regiment  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  April 
6th  and  7th,  1862,  as  far  as  we  could  ascertain  : 

COMPANY    A. 

Killed :  Clem  Tudor,  David  Morgan,  Elias 
Henry. 

Wounded  :     Sergeants     William  Willis  and  B. 
W.  Ladd.    Corporals  Geo.  R.  Conard  and  Daniel 
T.  Williams.     Privates  W    C.  Edwards,  John  W 
Spurlock,  David  Woosley,  J.  W  Leeka,  Peter  Fry. 

Missing  :     Chas.  Rodgers. 

Taken  Prisoner  :     Wm.  Tudor. 

COMPANY    B. 

Killed :     Aaron  Sales. 

Mortally  Wounded  :  Elias  J.  Hill,  Wm.  James 
and  L.  Malott. 

Wounded  Severely :  First  Serg't.  John  D. 
Nevins,  Corp'l.  W  N.  Harvey  and  Simeon  Sales. 

Slightly  Wounded  :     James  Brewer. 


274  APPENDIX. 

COMPANY   C. 

Killed  :     Jesse  Nelson. 

Mortally  Wounded  :  Jacob  Lippolt,  Simpson 
Rains  and  John  C.  Hamontree. 

Severely  Wounded :  James  Vanpelt,  Edward 
Chambers,  Amos  Laymon,  L.  A.  Williams,  E. 
Jones,  James  Seal  and  D.  B.  Hogan. 

Slightly  Wounded  :     W.  A.  Pratt,  J.  W   Hayner. 

Taken  Prisoners :     J.  W    Hayner,    E.  Lafferty. 

COMPANY    D. 

Killed :  Serg't.  John  Canter,  Peter  Craven, 
Bushrod  McDonald  and  Milton  Pavey. 

Mortally  Wounded  and  Taken  Prisoner  :  Albert 
West. 

Slightly  Wounded  :  David  H.  Canter  and  Corp'l. 
John  T.  McElvain. 

COMPANY  E. 

Killed  :     Isaac  Duncan  and  I.  Fox. 
Wounded  :     Henry  Lair,  Obed  Macy,  —  Len- 
dersmith  and  Henry  Hilderbrand. 

COMPANY    F. 

Wounded :  Edwin  Cory,  Christopher  Nagle, 
George  Morrison,  Robert  Cosgrave,  James  Myers, 
Frederick  Hoeltzel  and  David  Welker. 

COMPANY    G. 

Killed  :     Richard  Smith. 
Slightly  Wounded  :     James  Hair. 

COMPANY    H. 

Mortally  Wounded  :  Corporals  Stephen  Work- 
man and  John  Bardsley. 


APPENDIX.  2  75 

COMPANY    I. 

Killed:  Privates,  S.  Hallam,  Jacob  Thomas, 
Selkirk  Molott,  Wilson  Kratzer  and  E.  Hill. 

Mortally  Wounded  :  First  Serg't.  P.  M.  Ever- 
hard. 

Wounded :  Corporal  Moses  Edwards.  Privates 
Geo.  Weeks  and  Cornelius  Turner. 

COMPANY    K. 

Killed  :  Samuel  Doty  and  Hiram  S.  Manches- 
ter. 

Mortally  Wounded  :  Wm.  J.  Helmes,  John  Ri- 
ley. 

Wounded  :  Serg't.  W.  J.  Srofe,  Corp'l.  B.  C. 
Bourne,  F.  L.  Ashton,  Jno.  Hitesman,  Wm.  B. 
Kennedy  and  John  McKenzie. 


Partial  list  of  killed  and  wounded  at  Arkansas 
Post,  Jan.   11,  1863  : 

COMPANY   B. 

Wounded  :     James  Brewer,  J.  J.  Thompson. 

COMPANY    D. 

Wounded :     Corporals   Allen    Pierce,    John  T. 
McElvain  and  H.  Luttrell. 

COMPANY    E. 

Wounded  :     D.  Craven. 

COMPANY    F. 

Killed  :     George  Blair. 

COMPANY    H. 

Wounded  :     Serg't.  Geo.  M.  Williams  and  Corp'l. 
Michael  Stark. 


276  APPENDIX. 

COMPANY    K. 

Killed:     JohnW  Daily. 
Wounded  :     James  H.  Troy. 


Killed  and  wounded  at  Ft.  Blakely,  Alabama, 
April  9,  1865,  giving  the  letter  of  the  company  to 
which  they  belonged  in  the  48th  Ohio  before  the 
consolidation  : 

COMPANY    B. 

Mortally  Wounded:     John  R.  Lynn. 

company  c. 
Wounded  :  Corp'l.  Allen  Turnipseed. 

COMPANY    D. 

Killed:     H.  Cox. 

Wounded  :     J.  W.  Cashatt  and  Geo.  Cox. 

COMPANY    G. 

Wounded  :     Corp'l.  W    C.  Robins. 

COMPANY    H. 

Wounded  :  Riley  Workman,  received  nine 
wounds  and  recovered. 

COMPANY    K. 

Wounded  :     Elias  Conover,  William  Lindsey. 


APPENDIX.  277 

LIST  OF  OFFICERS  13TH  ARMY  CORPS,  AT 
CAMP  FORD  PRISON,  TEXAS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  13th 
Army  Corps,  captured  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  La., 
April  8,  1864.  Also  those  of  the  77th  Ohio,  cap- 
tured at  Marks'  Mills,  and  120th  Ohio,  captured 
on  steamer  City  Belle  : 

I9TH    KENTUCKY   VOL.    INF. 

Lieut.  Col.  John  Cowan,  Danville,  Kentucky. 

Maj.  J.  I.  Mann,  Harrodsburg,  " 

Adj't.  Geo.  C.  Rue, 

Capt.  Wm.  H.  Cundiff,  Somerset,  " 
"     L.  A.  Hamblin, 

"     Henry  L.  Whitehouse,  Haysville,  " 

"     John  Barnett,  Antioch,  " 

"     H.  H.  Forbes,  Danville,  " 
"     Alexander  Logan,  Lancaster,         " 

"     W.  F.  McKinney,  Stanford,  " 

Lieut.  V  L.  Lester,  Somerset,  " 
"     Thomas  Cundiff,      " 

"     Abe  Whitnack,  Harrodsburg,  " 

"     Elijah  Baker,  Poor  Fork,  " 

"     Eberle  Wilson,  Hustonville,  " 

"     Zachariah  Morgan,  Hazard,  " 

"     S.  W.  Hedger,  Lancaster,  " 

130TH    ILLINOIS    VOL.    INF. 

Capt.  Wm.  Prescott,  Springfield,  Illinois. 
"     Jesse  R.  Johnson,  Claremont,     " 
"     John  W   Watts,  Sumner,  " 

Lieut.     J.  W.  Paulin,  Curran,  " 


278  APPENDIX. 

Lieut.  Wm.  Harnerd,  Pocahontas,  Illinois. 
"     R.  S.  Taylor,  Springfield, 
"     Wm.  C.  Pool,  Marshall, 
"     Chas.  W-  Johnson,  Pocahontas,  " 

77TH     ILLINOIS    VOL.    INF. 

Capt.  J.  M.  McCullock,  Low  Point,  Illinois. 

"     Joseph  H.  Stevison,  Peoria,  " 

"     G.  G.  Stearns,  Knoxville,  " 

Lieut.  H.  L.  Bushnell,  Peoria,  " 

"     M.  O.  Harkness,  Southport,  " 
"     S.  S.  Edwards,  Edwards  Station,  " 

"     Henry  Wyman,  Brimfield,  " 

"     C.  F.  McCullock,  Low  Point,  " 

Chaplain  J.  S.  McCullock,  Peoria,  " 

48TH  OHIO  VET.    VOL.    INF. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  W  Lindsey,  Delaware,  Ohio. 
Maj.  J.  A.  Bering,  Lynchburg,  " 

Capt.  James  Sowry,  West  Milton,  " 

"     Daniel  Gunsaullus,  Fayette,  Kansas. 

"     Andrew  M.  Cochran,  Greenville,  O. 

"     Thos.  Montgomery,  Lynchburg,    " 
Lieut.  M.  McCaffrey,  New  Lexington,    " 

"     Wm.  J.  Srofe,  Hamersville,  " 

"     Harvey  W    Day,  Mt.  Oreb,  " 

MISCELLANEOUS  COMMANDS. 

Lieut.  P.  S.  Evans,  96th  Ohio,  Marysville,  O. 

"     Nicholas  Steinauer,    60th  Ind.   Tell  City, 
Indiana. 

"     S.  W.  Griffith,  326.  Iowa,  Berlin,  Iowa. 
Capt.  P.  H.  White,  Chic.  Mer.  Bat.,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


APPENDIX.  279 

Lieut.  P.  S.  Cone,  same,  Chicago,  111. 
Lieut.  Col.  A.  M.  Flora,  46th  Ind.,  Logansport, 
Indiana. 

Capt.  Wm.  DeHart,  same,  Logansport,  Ind. 
Chap.  Hamilton   Robb,    same,  Delphi,  Ind. 
Lieut.  Thos.  Hughes,  28th  la.,  Iowa  City,  la. 

I20TH  OHIO  VOL.  INF. 

Captured  on  steamer  City  Belle,  at  Snaggy  Point, 
Louisiana,  May  3,  1864  : 

Capt.  J.  P.  Rummell,  Newville,  Ohio. 

"     Benj.  G.  Miller,  Wooster, 
"     Elias  Froundfelter,  Ashland,  " 

"     Benj.  G.  Jones,  Shreve,  " 

Capt.  Valentine  Moffat,  Dalton,  " 

Lieut.  Harvey  Applegate,  Perryville,      " 
"     Wm.  B.  Millikan,  Ontario, 

77TH    OHIO    VOL.    INF. 

Captured  at  Marks'  Mills,  April  25,  1864  : 

Capt.  A.  W    McCormack,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

"     R.  H.  McKitrich, 
Lieut.  R.  E.  Smithson,  Regnier's  Mills,         " 
Sam'l.  Fulton,  Clarington,  " 

R.  H.  Flemming,  Barlow,  " 

Wm.  W.  Scott,  Barlow,  " 

N.  B.  Smith,  McConnellsville,  " 

D.  A.   Marlow,  Matamoras,  " 


APPENDIX. 


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